Brightburn: Taking The World
by Grump Joe
Summary: Somewhat after the events of the film, Brandon Breyer will set out to fulfill his purpose of taking the world.
1. The Beginning

"Take the world." That message was clear to Brandon Breyer of Brightburn, Kansas. The space ship that he came in when he was an infant was always present in his head in the form of alien voices to remind him of his task.

Currently, Brandon was living within the home of his aunt, Merilee McNichol. She had taken custody of him after the death of his parents, who he killed. No one knew that for he disposed of all the evidence of his actions by dropping a passenger plane onto the farm he grew up on. Later when the authorities arrived to the scene, he came out among the ruin as a 'survivor' of a tragic accident. Although, no one was sure what exactly caused the plane to go down but no one would blame Brandon for it. After all, he looks just like a harmless 12-year-old boy.

Brandon just rested in a guest bedroom his aunt had him stay in. He didn't feel much remorse but he caught himself reflecting on that day. He wouldn't say it was overwhelming but he had to murder his parents for their attempt to kill him. Sparing them was impossible for they would no doubt attempt to kill him again. He was special and had a reason to be on Earth. He quickly recalled the shock he felt at his father for shooting him in the head in the hopes he would die. Brandon had hoped it was an accident but seeing his father reload made it all clear what his father viewed him as. It was fair in Brandon's mind to kill him for his betrayal for it showed his father's love was weak. He tried not to think of his mother and he had no need to anymore. She was an inferior being that is now obsolete. Brandon didn't need to feel anything for her and so he didn't.

While laying in bed, he peered out of the window. A gentle knock then occurred at the door before slowly opening. It was his aunt and she simply called out, "Brandon?"

"Yes." Brandon responded. The door opened wider to completely reveal Aunt Merilee. She looked tired and her hair wasn't brushed. She wore a pink bath robe.

"How have you been, sweetie?" Aunt Merilee gently asked. Brandon quickly pondered on his response. He will need to say something more than "okay." He didn't want to come off as dismissive when Uncle Noah's death was brought up to him by his parents. It made him look suspicious so he must put some effort in showing some emotion.

"I... I am doing okay." Brandon replied with a down expression.

"I just want to tell you that... I know what happened isn't easy, Brandon. Its tough for me too. I want to let you know I'm here for you." Aunt Merilee said as she got closer to sit at the edge of the bed. She looked like she wanted to cry. Brandon looked down to avoid any eye contact for it made him look more convincing.

"Everything will be fine, sweetie. Well, goodnight and see you in the morning." said Aunt Merilee with a smile as she got up and slowly exited from the room. She closed the door behind her just after giving a quick glance to Brandon. He still looked down.

She finally closed the door, leaving Brandon alone again. He raised his head up and stared blankly at the door. He hoped he wouldn't have a need to kill his aunt. He did planned to but the sheriff was gone. She had no one to report to about him. If she would report to someone else, he would have to put up a small act of remorse to prevent that. If all else fails, he could just resort to killing her as he originally intended. It could raise suspicion though if he had to kill her.

Brandon then suddenly remembered Caitlyn. He was too caught up with his parents and had forgotten her. Brandon felt a little disappointed he forgot when he shouldn't have. It didn't matter for he'll deal with her in time. He'll likely see her again on school grounds in a couple of days or much earlier if possible. He had appearances to make and things to do for the spaceship. He had relocated the ship from the barn into the depths of the woods, and it would call to him.

Brandon went to sleep for right now there was nothing to do. Before placing the blanket over him, he looked out the window and saw the night sky. The Moon was high up in the sky among the few clouds.

"Take the world." Brandon whispered to himself before closing his eyes. He had a lot of work ahead of him.

* * *

Aunt Merilee poured herself a glass of wine at the kitchen. She wanted to drown some of the sadness away before bed. Noah's death was bad but losing her sister too made it worse. She tried to keep herself together when around others, especially Brandon. Only God knew what he must be feeling about everything.

Actually, she realized how calm Brandon seems to be about everything. That reminded her of how calm he was when she asked him about crushing Caitlyn's hand during class. He was remorseless and dismissive about the severity of his action.

"You know, sometimes when bad things happen to people it's for a good reason." Brandon had responded to her.

Merilee then remembered when Brandon had went to her house very late. He had asked her not to report anything to the sheriff, and he had an unsettling tone during their brief interaction that night.

She took a few drinks from the glass of wine. Maybe those things meant nothing. Brandon may have been acting odd but now he needs someone to comfort him. Brandon could be really sad deep down and trying not to show it. Also, people mourned in different ways. She is all he has left in the world, and he was all she had. They're family. Like her sister, she'll look after him and try her best to be there for him. Tori would want that.

She finished the glass and placed it into the sink to wash in the morning. She walked to her bedroom and got ready to sleep. As she laid on her side on the bed, she cried herself to sleep for a while. Hopefully things would get better.

Hopefully...

* * *

Brandon had a strange dream that night.

He was floating in an abyss. Nothing happened for a while until suddenly he was engulfed in a red light. The familiar alien voices started to echo all around, but Brandon couldn't understand any of it except for "Take the world." The voices then grew louder and louder. Brandon found himself placing his hands to his ears to drown out the noise. The voices then ceased and the red light faded away. Next, he was able to make out a distant figure within the light that had no clear features. It was amorphous and looked like it was bigger than him. It was extremely difficult to make out any other details.

The dream then suddenly ended and Brandon woke up, opening his eyes partially wide. He didn't move from where he was, and he slowly looked around. He was still in his bedroom and everything seemed to be alright. He closed his eyes again and gave no second thought to the dream. He slept well for the rest of the night.


	2. Back To School

It was time to go back to school. Brandon was gone for as long as he did because the school wanted to give him time to "mourn." He was originally away due to being suspended for two days for breaking Caitlyn's hand. He somewhat had his aunt to thank for his extended absence, but he convinced her he will be alright to be able to attend as normal. He needed to appear normal.

Brandon was outside the school in his aunt's car. Many students were heading into the school for soon the bell was going to ring. Aunt Merilee was parking the car as Brandon just stared out the passenger window at the entrance of the school.

"Okay, Brandon, here we are. Are you sure you'll be fine?" asked Merilee.

"Yes, Aunt Meri." Brandon said as he turned to Merilee.

"Well, alright. If there is any problems, you know where I am at sweetie."

"Yeah." replied Brandon.

Both exited the car and walked into the school together before parting ways. As Brandon already began to walk the hall to class, Merilee briefly stops to watch Brandon

"I hope he'll be okay." Merilee thought before heading to her office.

Brandon arrived at the door of his class just in time for the bell. He entered the noisy class and many students were already taking their seats. Before Brandon was able to go to his seat, his teacher, Ms. Espenschied, approached him.

"Welcome back Brandon." Ms. Espenschied said with a smile. Brandon didn't smile back but just gave a blank expression.

"Please take a seat." Ms. Espenschied continued before going to her desk. She no doubt was aware of the crash for it was all over the news. In this town, a plane crashing and killing two locally known individuals was something to cause conversation among the residents of Brightburn. After all, such a thing doesn't happen very often.

Brandon walked to his seat and sat down along with the class.

"Attention everyone! May I have your attention?!" Ms. Espenschied said to the class. Everyone became quiet in response and gave Ms. Espenschied their attention.

"Thank you everyone." She continued. She then started to introduce a subject but Brandon wasn't paying attention.

Brandon had noticed Caitlyn's seat was empty in front of him. He had hope to see her but maybe that's for the best. It would be somewhat awkward and she might be scared. She knows how special he is after all. Well, he'll try to find her later. Right now he has to engage in class to keep up appearances. He could try to leave the campus by asking Ms. Espenschied to go to the bathroom, but Brandon knew he would take too long. Then, that would lead to questions of where he has been and the last time he had lied about where he was he was caught by his parents. He wasn't a good liar but he can hopefully improve on that soon.

Brandon then started to pay a little more attention to Ms. Espenschied to know what subject she is talking about to the class, which was English. As he did, Brandon finally noticed some of his classmates taking quick glances at him. Some of them whispered to each other after doing so.

"I'm not surprised." thought Brandon. Like ants to a picnic, they would be compelled to gossip about him in regards to what happened at his home. Brandon didn't really care as long as they didn't get in his way. Besides, they too will eventually know how special he is.

To pass the time, Brandon took out his notebook and a blue pen from his backpack, which he had slouched to the side of his seat. Brandon opened the notebook to an empty page. Brandon started to draw his usual symbol that was of his initials onto the page.

Meanwhile, Royce, a black classmate of Brandon that would bully him, was snickering among his friends. Royce was near the back of the class and on the next row of seats to the left of Brandon. He wasn't far from Brandon but he wasn't close enough to be an absolute bother.

Brandon paid no attention to Royce for he was too invested in his drawings. Also, Royce wasn't doing anything significant to catch his attention.

Later it was lunch time and Brandon sat alone. He was still drawing in his notebook. He had a sandwich to his left on the table that he brought from home but he only eaten half of it.

As Brandon drew away, something had hit the back of his head which broke apart on impact. It was then followed by the familiar laughter of Royce and his friends.

"Oh damn, Royce, you accidently hit that weirdo's head!" One of Royce's friends said while trying to hold their laughter to speak.

Brandon clenched his hands into fists. A wave of anger was flowing through Brandon's mind. He looked to see what hit him, and it was a wrapped sandwich which now laid on the floor. It had yellow mustard in it, and some of it was on him. He could feel some in his hair, and it is possible there is some on his back. Brandon was wearing a jacket thankfully so he would be able to take it off so he didn't walk around in it. As for his hair, hopefully the yellow mustard wasn't going to be a pain to get out. Again, it felt like a little bit.

"Good one, Royce." another friend of Royce commented.

Brandon turned to face Royce who was several feet away laughing with his friends. Royce had his back turned to Brandon, and started to walk away. It took a lot of will power not to violently lash out right then and there. Brandon just gave a cold glare before packing his notebook, uneaten sandwich, and pen back into his backpack. He went to the restroom to wipe off the mess caused by Royce.

As Brandon walked his way to the restroom, he captured a quick glance of Royce's face. Royce partially turned his head to see Brandon, and he had a smug look on his face. Brandon maintained a cold stare before looking away from Royce and continuing on to the restroom.

* * *

The bell rung and school was over for the day. Everyone was heading home, and Royce said goodbye to his friends as they took the bus. He was going to walk home since it wasn't far.

Royce walked down the left side of the road, and would occasionally pick up sticks to throw into the nearby woods to his left. A nice breeze would sometimes ruffle the leaves of the trees. Royce didn't notice how nice it was today, along with the fact that someone watched him from behind some bushes nearby.

He continued his walk as normal until suddenly getting hit in the back of the head with something.

"What the hell!" Royce yelled before turning to see what was thrown and who thrown it. Royce found a half-eaten sandwich that laid disassembled all over the ground. He looked up and stared down the road. Royce felt confused and also realized how much his head hurts from being hit by the sandwich. Actually, some bits of the sandwich were stuck to him. He wiped them off with his left hand.

Whoever threw it had a good arm, Royce thought. If only he knew what to expect, which was Brandon Breyer.

Brandon had threw the sandwich with as much restraint as possible. If he tried, he could have possibly thrown it so hard it would break a bone or make Royce fly into the ground. Brandon had quickly flew out of Royce's sight.

Royce turned around from the sandwich and found in front of him Brandon. Royce didn't know it was Brandon for he was wearing his creepy mask. The main feature Royce noticed was that Brandon's eyes glowed red.

Royce was startled at the sudden appearance of Brandon, and it felt like an eternity that Brandon stared at him. Both were eerily silent as the leaves were rustled by the wind.

Brandon finally made a move, and grabbed Royce by the arms. He quickly took him up through the branches of a tree and into the sky. It took a while for Royce to register what just happened. His right arm felt dislocated at the shoulder while his left arm hurt badly. Royce simply groaned loudly in pain.

"Oh god!" Royce shouted as he closed his eyes when he looked down. He didn't like heights. Where he was at he could probably see his house.

Next, Brandon flew Royce down to the trees so Royce may impact their branches while he flies through them. Brandon also flew faster so Royce would hit as many branches as possible, especially the thicker ones. This quickly left Royce to be severely beaten and somewhat mangled. One of the branches Royce had hit had broken his ankle, while another had left a large cut on the right side of his waist.

Other than the pain of hitting the branches of trees, Royce felt like his arms where going to detach from his body. The skin and joints of his arms felt stretched due to the speed he was moving in.

Brandon then tilted his trajectory upwards and let Royce go. Royce flew through the air quickly and finally landed by impaling on a sharp branch on top of a tree. Royce's disjointed arm tore off on impact and fell down to the forest below.

Royce's lungs were filling with blood and it started to come out of his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot, and his limbs were twisted. Pieces of leaves and twigs were stuck to his clothes, and backpack.

As the life of Royce faded away, Brandon appeared in front of him, floating in the air. His eyes were no longer glowing red.

Brandon then took off his mask and held it at his side. He looked into Royce's eyes as he was dying. Royce's eyes widen at the reveal. As usual, Brandon had a blank expression but he did crack a creepy smile when Royce made a sick croaking sound. Royce was filled with terror and shock as he finally died with Brandon as the last person he ever sees.

Brandon then reached out to touch the blood on the branch, which he stared at on his finger. He looked back at Royce's corpse and used his heat vision to ignite the leaves of the tree so the body may burn. Brandon then descended down to the ground, and he found a large rock near the tree. On the rock, he painted his symbol from earlier with Royce's blood. Brandon then wiped the remaining bits of blood on his finger onto a leaf on the ground when he finished painting.

Brandon stood back to admire his work as the tree started to engulf in flames at the top. Next, Brandon put back on his mask again and quickly disappeared from the area.

Since Brandon dealt with that nuisance, he must get home back to Aunt Merilee so she doesn't start to worry. Also, Brandon wondered what he'll be having for dinner since he did waste a perfectly good sandwich.


	3. Assess

Aunt Merilee was inside her house sitting on the couch. She was slowly starting to be concerned about Brandon for he wasn't home. She hadn't seen him outside the school when the bell rung for everyone to go home. Nonetheless, Merilee tried to keep calm but the thought of something bad happening to Brandon would creep into her mind. She wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to him. She can picture how her sister Tori would have reacted. Knowing how much she loved Brandon, Tori would probably lose it pretty quickly. Merilee couldn't help but smile about the thought of Tori. She was always very caring, especially towards Brandon.

Merilee could feel her eyes tearing up a little so she raised a hand up to her eyes. As she wiped her eyes, a knock then occurred at the door.

She got up from the couch and went to answer the door. When she opened it, she was met with Brandon.

"Hey, Aunt Meri." Brandon simply said as he walked inside the house as he aunt stepped aside.

"Where have you been? I didn't see you outside of the school." Said Merilee as she closed the door.

"I decided to just walk home. I just wanted fresh air." Brandon lied.

"Well, next time, please let me know. Okay?"

"Yeah." Brandon replied as he walked away from Aunt Merilee to his room.

Merilee wanted to question Brandon further about where he has been but thought against it. It was most likely nothing anyway and it was likely pointless to press him about it. Most people prefer to walk to clear their mind and things likely aren't that easy for him. Maybe for now Brandon needed some space, Merilee thought. She also was going to bring up to Brandon that they'll being doing another counseling session at the request of the school. He still needed to show improvement in regards to breaking Caitlyn's hand.

She went to go do some work. She had some minor paperwork from the school she needed to do.

Meanwhile, Brandon sat within his room after putting his backpack away. It had his partially dirtied sweater from earlier inside. He was pondering on his next course of action, which was concerning Caitlyn. He wondered where he would find her, but as he was wondering he started to hear the voices in his head. The spaceship called for his presence. He didn't really understood that was what it asked for but that thought came to him. Then the voices ceased.

Brandon got up and exited from his room. He'll have to inform his aunt he will be gone or else just disappearing from home would be suspicious. Brandon then found Merilee at the kitchen table working.

"Hey, Aunt Meri, I'll be heading out." Brandon said with a blank face. Merilee raised her head from her work to see Brandon.

"Where will you be going?" Merilee asked.

"I'll be playing soccer." Brandon quickly lied.

"With who?" Merilee asked while looking a bit confused.

"Just some friends." Brandon said with a fake smile. He hoped it added some believability for someone would be excited to hang out with people. It just seemed to be appropriate although it did make him look creepy sometimes. Brandon then continued to talk.

"Earlier I was asked if I wanted to go out later after school to play. I thought of it and think it would be fun."

"Can you give me a name? I want to know your friends." asked Merilee with curiosity. She knew from Tori that Brandon struggled with making friends.

The question asked briefly made Brandon stuck. His mind quickly scrambled for a name but he couldn't think of any. It's not like he knew many people's names at school. Besides, why should he bother? He was vastly superior to his false peers so it should be the other way around.

"I don't really know. They are some cool kids. I can get to know them by going." Brandon said. He hoped his response was satisfying. In the back of his head, he didn't want to resort to any drastic course of actions.

"Well, be back before sundown, sweetie." Merilee reluctantly responded.

"Thank you, Meri." Brandon said as he returned to his room to get a sweater to wear.

As Brandon left, Merilee thought about their conversation.

"This is interesting." She thought. Brandon could be showing improvement. Having friends would be healthy for Brandon. Merilee wondered why would Brandon's classmates try to include him now in their activities. Could they feel sorry for him because of his loss? Nonetheless, her thoughts concluded with hope. Brandon showed interest so maybe that next counseling session she'll have to have with him will turn out fine.

As Merilee looked back down to her work, Brandon returned from his room and he was wearing a red sweater. Underneath it he had his mask and cape tucked inside.

"Bye." Brandon said as he grabbed the door knob and opened the door.

"Be back soon, Brandon!" Merilee exclaimed as she remained looking at the papers, and thinking about getting a drink.

As soon as Brandon was outside of the house, he quickly dawned his mask and cape. Then, he quickly flew to where his ship was within the forests. It was hidden near a grassy mound and covered under branches. It flashed to life by turning on its red lights and speaking to him inside his head again.

Brandon didn't recognize the words but slowly he started to understand.

"Hiding... Better hiding?" Brandon muttered to himself as he was beginning to understand why the ship had summoned him. It had told him that he must better hide it somewhere.

"Alright." Brandon whispered as he looked around. It was it that told Brandon where to put it. It had ordered him to move it from the barn back into the woods. This time it wanted Brandon to decide.

Brandon quickly moved around the surrounding woods for anywhere better. He did stumbled upon a cavern which was sufficient. He used his heat vision to light the interior to see how deep it was. It wasn't very deep but good enough.

He went back to the ship and removed the branches off of it. Brandon then lifted it over his head and took it to the entrance of the cavern. The ship would absolutely fit through the entrance. While Brandon was carefully placing the ship inside the cavern, it started to light up again. Brandon heard it inside his head.

"The... girl..." Brandon was able to make out but he quickly knew what it was referring to. He needed to locate Caitlyn.

After finally setting up the ship inside the cavern, Brandon went to a tree. He was going to uproot it so he could place it over the entrance along with other nearby branches. He grabbed it by the sides and lifted the tree. It was uprooted with ease, and Brandon quickly brought it to the cavern entrance. He then broke the tree in half with a punch to the center. Next, he had set up the two pieces to block the entrance, and he went to grab some tree branches to further cover it up. Brandon was pleased at the end result, and since the ship was silent he assumed it was too.

Now Brandon had to take care of Caitlyn. The first thing Brandon did was travel to her house. He was across the street and looked at the house. There was no lights on. Brandon took of his mask to avoid scaring Caitlyn if she was there. On the other hand, it was still day and Brandon was risking being seen. He just quickly looked around and felt more confident that anyone seeing him won't be much of an issue.

Brandon flew up to Caitlyn's bedroom window. The bed was empty and neatly made. Brandon slowly opened the window and crept inside. She was definitely not here but maybe he could find some clues. Maybe he could learn about her relatives so he could track them down. Brandon looked around the house and saw Caitlyn's and her mother's belongings were still around. It had been a few days since he had killed Caitlyn's mother, Erica, so it is why the house hasn't been made empty yet. Brandon assumed it would take a while anyway for the home to be cleared and resold to somebody else. Brandon returned to Caitlyn's room to see if there was missing clothes. It seemed like there was some missing. It's not like Brandon would know her entire wardrobe exactly.

Before Brandon left, he stopped and decided to go to Erica's room. Her room had dark blue painted walls and brown carpeting. On a drawer next to the bed, a framed picture of Caitlyn was present. Brandon took it out of the frame and placed the picture in his pocket. Finally, Brandon was done there and exited the house the same way he came in. Brandon was in the woods again.

Overall, Brandon didn't find any noteworthy leads. He found nothing to indicate anything about relatives, and if Caitlyn had them some would possibly be in Brightburn. Considering how everyone knows each other, he would most likely know about them to an extent. Since clothes could possibly be missing, she is definitely staying somewhere, though that is obvious. In conclusion, Brandon simply thought, "What a waste of time. She wouldn't be here."

He was frustrated at himself since he is too intelligent to make such an error. Caitlyn really messes with his mind a bit.

Brandon then pondered on the idea of Caitlyn at the police station. It is the most likely place she would be unless she had been assigned a parental guardian by the authorities by now. Although, for Brandon to know he would need to go to the station which would be risky. It's not like they'll let him walk into the place to see Caitlyn. Brandon also didn't want to kill his way to her for doing that would bring too much attention. Covering it up as an accident is an option for he could have it look like a fire, though someone would have to survive. It would be unusual that everybody just died.

To confirm Caitlyn was at the police station, Brandon thought of his aunt. Merilee was the counselor of the school so she would definitely know all about that. Brandon won't ask her but he hoped that maybe she has some documents or something of the sort he could take without her knowing. Brandon thought of going to the school and breaking into her office. It was getting late and maybe a janitor would still be around on campus along with a couple of teachers in their classrooms. Brandon would easily dispose of them if he needed to.

So Brandon went to the school. He was outside and analyzed the building for a way in that wouldn't be too conspicuous. Luckily, a janitor was opening a door into the main building. He placed a bucket to prevent the door from closing as he went to push in some carts to collect trash from the rooms. Brandon quickly went passed the man without issue.

Brandon rapidly traversed the halls as the lights flickered in his presence. He eventually was outside of his aunt's office He gently placed his hand on the door knob and forcibly twisted it. He pushed forward as the door knob crumbled in his hand. He managed to break the door open without have to tear off the whole thing from its hinges. Now he had access to his aunt's office and quickly got to work. Brandon checked the desk and looked at the filing cabinets. He found Caitlyn's file which he took to his aunt's desk and opened. Brandon scanned through the file before seeing what he was looking for on a letter from the sheriff's office.

She was indeed in the custody of the authorities until things were sorted out involving custody. She was noted to make a return to school eventually.

Brandon then returned the file to where he found it, and immediately he fled the premises. Once he was outside, he travelled to the direction of home. The sun was going to set and he had nothing to do for the moment. He was glad to know more about Caitlyn and that he'll see her eventually. He couldn't help but crack a creepy smile under his mask as he flew across the sky.

Brandon was outside of his aunt's house with time left to spare. He took off his cape and mask before entering. He placed the items under his sweater.

"Aunt Meri, I'm back!" Brandon said out loud as he started to head to his room. A door opening slightly could be heard.

"Hey Brandon," responded Merilee from somewhere in the house, "I'm just about to take a shower!"

Brandon heard his aunt close the bathroom door as he finally made it to his room. He took out his mask and cape from under his sweater and hid it away in his closet. Next, he laid down on the bed, and he contemplated taking a shower after his aunt finished using the bathroom.

Brandon stared at the ceiling as he waited for his turn to shower. He made no sound and thought of Caitlyn for a bit. Everything was going extremely well.

* * *

A black car drove down the road and was heading towards the sheriff department of Brightburn. Once it arrived to its destination two men in black overcoats with a suit underneath exited from the vehicle. They also had hats on.

A deputy was at the front desk and looked up to see the two men approach him. There was also a black woman who was talking to a deputy, shouting about her son being missing. The two men paid them no mind as they walked passed to speak to the deputy at the desk.

"May I help you, gentlemen?" The deputy asked.

"I'm Agent Carter, and this is my partner Hendrick. We're from the FBI." responded Agent Carter as he and Hendrick pulled out their fake badges. Carter was a tall man with short, black hair. He always had a bored look on his face. His partner, Agent Hendrick, was of average height and also had black hair. He had a buzz cut but it was covered most of the time by his hat. Hendrick also had a slim down face.

"Oh, okay. Again, how can I help you two?" The deputy asked again as he raised a hand to shake the hands of the agents, which was ignored by the two.

"We would like access to the late Sheriff Deever's files on recent cases for this month. We also have some questions." Agent Hendrick said.

"Please follow me then." The deputy responds as he leads the two men around the desk to the back. They walked the hall silently until the deputy tried to start a conversation, "So what brings you two here, fellas?"

"Have you forgotten that a plane crashed here in Brightburn?" replied Hendrick to the deputy.

"Of course but..." The deputy continued to speak to Hendrick as they finally arrived at the door to Sheriff Deeve's office. The deputy took out a set of keys and shifted through them while still talking to Hendrick. While they talked, Carter looked down the hall.

Carter observed a young girl sitting down on a chair. She wore a cast on her right arm, and she looked at the floor. While he looked, she did raise her head and turned to look down the hall. At the sight of him, she looked away to the floor.

The deputy finally opened the door, allowing it to slowly swing open after giving it a gentle push as he stepped aside.

"Here you go gentlemen." The deputy said with a smile as Carter and Hendrick entered the office. Hendrick approached the desk where he started to collect case files on top of it, and within the filing cabinets nearby .

Carter then took out a notepad with a pen attached from a pocket within his overcoat. He turned to the deputy and spoke to him.

"Alright, what lead to Sheriff Deever to the Breyer property?"

"Well, there was a call from the home." Responded the deputy.

"Anything noteworthy in the call?"

"Nope. It was just a few seconds of one of the residents there, Tori Breyer, screaming before the call was cut. We have a recording of it if you want it."

"Yes, we'll be taking that before we leave," said Carter as he quickly wrote down some notes before continuing, "So had Deever been to the Breyer home before?"

"Yeah, he was there earlier that day of the crash. I remember seeing him leave to investigate something concerning the adoptive son of the Breyers named Brandon." Answered the deputy.

"Do you know why?"

"No."

"Okay, does this town often have some strange occurrences?" Carter said as he fixed his tie and continued to write down the noteworthy details.

"What do you mean?" The deputy said in a confused tone.

"Just anything unusual." Carter stated. He sounded a bit annoyed.

"No. Brightburn is a quiet town. This month has been the most interesting time ever." The deputy said with a large smile that was accompanied with light laughter, which quickly faded away as Carter was expressionless. Meanwhile, Hendrick had made a small stack of a few folders on the desk, and was crouched to look into some cabinets. Hendrick got up soon since there wasn't much else that was worthwhile. He grabbed the folders he placed on the desk and walked to Carter's side.

"I'm done." Hendrick announced to Carter.

"Okay." Carter responded to Hendrick as he put his pen and notepad away before going back to the deputy.

"Can you please provide us the recording of the call from the Breyer home?"

"Sure, follow me." The deputy said as he lead them into the hall. As they walked, Carter caught sight of the girl from moments ago. She looked up and for a brief moment she made direct eye contact to Carter who had a cold expression as they passed. She looked down again and Carter looked ahead.

Later, Carter and Hendrick were exiting from the building once acquiring all that was necessary. The two got into their car and drove off after placing their fake badges into the glovebox, which had other fake badges for different agencies. While they drove down the dark rode, Hendrick analyzed what they recovered. He then started to talk to Carter while he silently drove the car.

"Do you think we are dealing with something here, Carter? From what I could tell, this all feels a bit mundane. Like, the symbol appearing at scenes makes this come off as some serial killer's work. Most places like these eventually has them. Wisconsin had Jeffrey Dahmer going about."

"What are your thoughts about the plane crash? The symbol was there too."

"Well, maybe whoever did it had a big gun to do it. Terrorists always attempt to bring a plane down so it isn't something outside of possibility."

"True, Hendrick, but let's first get to HQ to better assess everything we know for our report about Brightburn." Said Carter as he gave a quick glance to Hendrick.

"Alright." Said Hendrick as he closed the folder he was reading.

Soon, Carter and Hendrick found themselves back in headquarters within their offices. They typed out their analyzed all the data they recovered and typed their reports. Finally, they had to submit it to their boss.

They went to the office of their boss, which was lit mostly by a desk lamp. Their boss looked at some papers while he had a cigarette in his mouth. He laid it down when Carter and Hendrick were standing in front of his desk.

"So what has Brightburn, Kansas have to offer?" Asked their boss as he grabbed the report which was within a folder from their hands.

"Well, Ed, we have one unexplained disappearance of one Erica Connor who disappeared under unusual circumstances. She was working at a local diner at around night time when she disappeared. The diner showed signs of a struggle, but what is noteworthy is that the door to the walk-in freezer was cut in half and torn off its hinges. The door looked like it was cut by a laser." Said Carter.

"It says here she has a daughter. Anything?"

"Yes, named Caitlyn. Well, she was reportedly scared silent according to the police."

"You guys interviewed her?" Asked Ed.

"No, we didn't see that as really neces-" Carter managed to say before being interrupted by his superior.

"Why not?"

"Sir, what would we learn from a 12-year-old girl that the local police doesn't? She isn't talking and kids aren't all that reliable." Intruded Hendrick.

Their boss huffed at his cigarette for a brief moment before responding to Hendrick.

"Kids sometimes see things, jackass," He said before turning to Carter, "Continue please."

"Yes, sir. There was the death of a local named Noah McNichol. He died in a car accident but what makes this interesting is the presence of a symbol on the road, which was also present at the diner where Connor worked. It was on the window. This same symbol also appears at the crash site of that passenger plane. We looked through some files on old occult practices and don't see the this symbol anywhere."

Ed looked at the attached photos of Brandon's symbols. He looked at them in silence before asking Carter to continue.

"Well, sir, there is the sheriff of the town, Sheriff Deever. He was at the site of the plane crash but we don't have his body. We did find some blood on the front lawn we haven't identified yet. It is being checked to see if it is his blood.

"Furthermore, we looked into why he was there. He and a deputy, also deceased, went there in response to an emergency call from Tori Breyer. The audio we have is just her screaming. We don't know what occurred but we are aware she had a son who survived the crash. He was mentioned on the news, sir, as Brandon Breyer. We also haven't approached him yet for similar reasons Hendrick had brought up about the girl."

Their superior then putted out his cigarette on his ashtray. He fanned the air with the folder in his hands to disperse a small cloud of smoke before putting it on his desk.

"So, we are dealing with something anomalous." Ed stated as he placed his hands together.

"Possibly, sir. We need more information to come to a proper conclusion though. There are still mundane explanations that are possible." Carter responded.

"Very well. Tomorrow return to Brightburn to monitor it. I want you to pay close attention to that girl, Caitlyn, and that boy. They are associated with possible anomalous activity due to the deaths of people close to them. Maybe you'll find your answers with them. Now get out of here." Ed stated.

"Yes, sir." Said Carter and Hendrick simultaneously in an unenthusiastic tone before leaving.

As they returned to their offices, Hendrick turned to his partner.

"God, this will suck. I hate observations. We need to get a raise." Groaned Hendrick.

"We don't get that unless we give the rest of the government a reason to invest in an operation. You know how things are with funding." Said Carter.

"Yeah. It's not like we risk our lives sometimes too." Hendrick responded before they gone their separate ways.

Tomorrow is another day for them and so will it be for Brandon Breyer. He was asleep and was dreaming.

He dreamt of standing in a dark place. The floor had a layer of water, and all around Brandon were red floating lights in the distance surrounding him. It was oddly peaceful until he heard the familiar message of taking the world. The lights grew and suddenly a massive beam of red light came from the sky. It engulfed Brandon which made him scream before it faded away. He felled to his knees after it before he saw a figure in the distance. He gotten up to walk to it but he felt he was being pulled back.

When he got close enough, the figure looked like an amorphous blob before it grew four insect-like limbs spontaneously. The voices ceased and here was an eerie silence. The thing grew more limbs and a body started to form that grew in size. The red light engulfed him again before he woke up.

Like last time, Brandon looked around to see he was home before going back to sleep.


	4. The Big T

**Author Note: **Hello dear readers, I apologize for the delay of this chapter. Some things occurred in my life that prevented me from writing. The first was my computer failing on me and I was on vacation so I couldn't get it fixed for two weeks. I also had to deal with enrollment into college. I won't bore you dear readers with my troubles but I hope you will enjoy this new chapter. It is about time I gained the motivation to continue what I started. Enjoy!

* * *

"Welcome to the weekly live stream. I am the Big T of Truth Bomb Production, and you know how it is. Before we discuss the topic of this livestream, I will be taking phone calls. On screen at the bottom, there is the phone number. I love to hear what you guys have to say for on Truth Bomb Productions we give a platform for freedom of speech... Ah, we already got a lucky caller... Let's see. Hello?"

"Um, hi."

"Welcome, you are live with the Big T, brother! How you doing?"

"Well, I been doing great. Thanks. I am a big fan and I want to thank you for your hard work. I enjoyed your last video about the Rope Witch. It was very informative and I never heard of it. I love obscure stories of such supernatural encounters. Never knew there was so much history. Oh, sorry. I am rambling, aren't I?"

"It's alright. I am glad to hear you been enjoying my content. I put a lot of research into that topic along with some buddies of mine. Anyway, what's your name?"

"My name is Paul."

"Hello, Paul. You got fantastic energy. I can tell."

"Yeah, um, thank you very much, Big T."

"Fucking aye! So Paul, do you have any interesting stories to share with us today here on the livestream? Our viewers love suggestions to personal stories."

"Uh, I, um, don't have any personal stories but I have an interesting topic you could cover in a future video."

"I am listening, Paul."

"Well, did you hear about the plane crash over a town in Kansas? I think the town was called Brightburn."

"Oh, that I heard. Apparently they still don't know why it crashed which I find to be interesting why they don't have a straight answer. Are they hiding something? It isn't the first time the media feed bullshit about incidents involving airliners."

"Uh, yeah. Another thing that is interesting is the town. I have a friend that lives near the town and said about some spooky stuff. A waitress at some diner disappeared a couple of days before the crash. Interestingly, there is a rumor that there was a strange symbol at the diner. The symbol is said to supposedly have made an appearance at the site of a car crash. My friend thinks there could be some cult in the town or there is some curse, especially that a plane crashed over it."

"Ain't that interesting. Could be a satanic sex cult, man. Yikes, that's some crazy messed up shit."

"Yep. Uh, another thing is the creepy name of the town. Brightburn sounds almost occult."

"It sorta does, huh? It really makes you wonder. I talked in the past about mysterious towns. Like, there is some Silent Hill-esque shit going on sometimes."

"Y-yeah."

"I'll certainly look further into all that. Thank you very much for sharing that, Paul. Uh, the town is called Brightburn, like bright and burn?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, I got it noted down. My head is real thinking about what could be going on at that town. Probably the usual but I will expose the truth. There is a lot the public has the right to know!"

"Awesome."

"Well, it seems we are going to have to end our conversation, Paul. It's been such a pleasure. We'll have to start discussing today's topic. Thank you for calling and enjoy the livestream."

"Thanks, Big T."

"No problem... Alright. We'll continue calls near the end of the stream. Today's topic is about man eating, interdimensional hopping clowns that look like insect hybrids. I know what your thinking, 'Big T, that sounds familiar.' Well, no it is not a reference to that one book by that 'prolific' horror writer. He 'wrote' that book based on what I am about to talk about. Also, this story involves possible cybernetic soldiers from the US government, which are no doubt something the government would do. Don't forget their psychic task force during the Cold War, people!"


	5. Demolition

"He really got messed up." Hendrick commented as he and Carter looked up to the decaying corpse of Royce impaled on a tree branch a few meters above them. The two were surrounded by local authorities investigating the scene out in the woods. A perimeter of yellow police tape was made and some firemen brought in a ladder to bring down the body. A body bag patiently waited near the ladder. Carter and Hendrick watched the attempt to retrieve Royce while holding handkerchiefs to their faces to block out the smell. Royce may have been placed very high of the massive tree but one could smell his rotting flesh from all the way down. He could possibly be smelled from all across the forest. Well, he was found because of some hikers smelling him.

The fireman that climbed the ladder carried a hatchet to cut the branch to be able to bring down Royce intact as much as possible. Although, lots of Royce had been consumed by maggots to passing birds.

"So you think this could be that missing kid? Uh, Royce something?" Hendrick continued to Carter while looking at him instead of the corpse.

"Definitely. I am certain the DNA test will prove it. Well, if we could get him down in one piece though that wouldn't matter. It fits with the time the missing persons report was filed."

"God. It has been a few days and he smells terrible." Hendrick replied.

"You just haven't been around many bodies in various states." Carter said while watching the fireman getting ready to hack away at the tree branch.

"Oh, are you about to tell me another one of your Gulf War stories, Carter? There is no need. I heard enough horror stories regarding war from my father about Vietnam." Hendrick said in a snarky tone.

The two became silent as hacking began on the tree branch. Then, they left the tree to get away from the sight of the disgusting removal. As they were walking away, they passed by a rock which was being photographed. Carter looked at the rock which him and Hendrick saw when they first arrived there.

The rock bore that same odd symbol that appeared in various other incidents around Brightburn. Carter pondered on many possibilities on who or what is responsible for leaving the symbols behind. For sure, a killer was involved but what would be their motive? The pleasure of the kill? A ritual?

Carter's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of the falling tree branch. Carter, Hendrick, and the local law enforcement all turned to the tree. The fireman had the head of the hatchet pinning the body to the tree for it slouched forward, almost falling to the ground though small flakes of Royce did fall. A deputy then yelled at the fireman.

"Hey, use your hands to get the body down!"

"Fuck you! This body is oozing shit and crawling with maggots! You would want to avoid touching this too!" Yelled back the fireman.

The fireman placed his hand on Royce and moved the hatchet away, passing it down to another fireman that climbed on the ladder to help. The body made a cracking sound while the fireman slowly moved it out with disgust. It was the back of the rib cage crumbling apart from the damages received by the impalement. The body was passed down and carried to the body bag waiting below.

"Bleh." remarked Hendrick behind Carter as they observed the placement of Royce's body into the body bag.

The two left the crime scene and walked backed to the road where their car was parked to the side along with other vehicles. A local news van was present and a reporter was talking to an officer. Carter and Hendrick ignored them and entered their car. They drove off down the road.

* * *

Brandon stared at his bowl of cereal with a spoon in hand within the kitchen. He observed how soaked the frosted flakes were. It reminded him of a bloody pulp of human flesh for some reason. He didn't know why but he quickly got back to reality and continued to eat his breakfast. He had to go to school.

Finally, Aunt Merilee was ready and was just going to find her keys in the living room. She found them on top of the coffee table and called out for Brandon. Brandon already had his backpack on while he was eating, and as soon as his aunt called for him he sat up from the table and walked to the front door.

They got into Merilee's car and drove off to the school. They failed to notice a black car parked nearby across the road that was waiting for them to leave. It was Carter and Hendricks and they moved the car closer to Merilee's house near the driveway.

The two stepped out of the car and walked to the trunk. Carter opened it and inside was a small case which he opened up. It had two power drills and various small microphones.

"Do you remember how to install these?" Carter asked Hendrick.

"Of course. How could I fucking forget?"

"Last time you almost blew our cover so I am just being sure."

"Well, don't worry. I mean, they just look like cables and if there were found nothing much would be thought of it. Also, the damn cat found the microphone-"

"Enough. Let's get this done quick. You have to do some babysitting" Carter ordered.

"Fuck you." Hendrick responded in a playful way. They closed the trunk and proceeded toward the house.

* * *

Brandon said goodbye to Aunt Merilee as he went to his class. He looked forward to after school for the ship called to him. It had orders waiting for Brandon to perform with the upmost effectiveness. He received this knowledge when he woke up in the morning more earlier than usual, about an hour before having to wake up to prepare for school. It was exciting almost for Brandon wouldn't need to act normal for anyone anymore. Everyone in the world should know what he is and that is a superior being! It would all be wonderful.

Brandon was in class and briefly doodled in his notebook while paying attention. Lately, he had been trying to draw what he had been dreaming. He was planning on drawing Royce in his final moments before death, but that was not on his mind. In fact, he almost forgotten that happened entirely until seeing the empty seat Royce would tease him from.

Royce's absence was hardly acknowledged by anyone, not even his friends. They probably did wondered at first but it hasn't been that long for them to deeply worry. His parents may have already went to report his sudden disappearance.

Anyway, Brandon found himself struggling trying to depict what he dreamt. He couldn't explain why for usually when he started drawing he does it quite decently. It is as if something was blocking the image of what he saw. Brandon definitely recalled the voices and the redness vividly. He tried hard to remember as such much as he could of the thing he saw in his dream.

"_It shouldn't matter_." Brandon reminded himself in his head. Next, he gave his full undivided attention to the lesson being taught by his teacher Ms. Espenschied. Maybe later he will revisit the matter.

* * *

Caitlyn has been at the police station for too long. She had a couple of visits with Social Services but they stopping coming. Instead, a man in a suit came to check on her, and this began yesterday. She had no clue what his name was and she was too scared to ask. It was strange for no doubt she should be within foster care by now. Far in the back of her mind, a small piece of her wondered if it all had to do with Brandon.

Caitlyn had avoided talking with anyone since she arrived at the station. The news of her mother's mysterious disappearance struck immense fear in her since it was no doubt the work of Brandon. She couldn't forget his words that night when he was in her bedroom.

"I'll take care of that." Brandon said that night before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

Caitlyn was seated on a bench which she slept on. She was given a pillow and a blanket by a deputy the day before yesterday for that is when she actually had a full night sleep. She kept herself awake out of fear of Brandon coming for her. Luckily, that didn't happen but eventually she would see him again. Anyway, as she sat she looked at her arm cast. The doctor she saw at Brightburn Memorial Hospital when Brandon broke her arm told her she would be wearing it for three months. Despite Brandon's strength, this made Caitlyn briefly hope to hurt Brandon before reality settled in. She had no clue how a boy his age was that strong.

She heard around the police station of a plane crash over Brandon's home in which he was the only survivor. Caitlyn pondered if he was even human along with the possibility that he had something to do with the crash.

"_He's a freak._" She thought. She then balled up her hands into fists.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the man in the suit stood over her.

* * *

Hendrick checked on the girl, Caitlyn, as he was ordered. Meanwhile, his partner Carter was monitoring Brandon Breyer. Hendrick had been 'babysitting', as Carter eloquently put it, since yesterday. He had not a lot do which bore him. Hendrick passed the time by talking to a few deputies, which he suppose was better than sitting in a car all day. Hendrick wondered how Carter had the patience for that.

"So how's the winter here in Brightburn?" Hendrick asked a male deputy at a desk nonchalantly. The deputy ignored Hendrick who just walked around from the desk to find someone else to chat with. He later did managed to struck a conversation with two deputies, one male and the other female, in the break room.

"I'm telling you, Bigfoot is bullshit." said Hendrick to the male deputy.

"Of course a government man such as yourself _would_ say that. Y'all always lying about stuff." The deputy responded.

"Come on, man. What does anyone gain with lying about Bigfoot? We're talking about a supposedly overgrown Gorilla here!"

The conversation between the two were interrupted by the female deputy that asked a question to Hendrick.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here anyway?" She asked softly.

"Oh, well I am just here on business. Also, I am waiting for a call from my boss. You seen the girl here? Yeah, we may have a nice home for her," Hendrick responded in a boastful tone, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Rachel, and doesn't Social Services handle that, not FBI?"

"Well, Rachel, pedophiles lurk in Social Services which the Bureau is investigating. We handle things for now until we finish draining the swamp." Lied Hendrick with a smirk. He felt clever.

"Alright." Rachel replied.

Hendrick's phone then rang and surely that was Ed, his superior. He left the two deputies to get a bit of privacy before answering.

"Hey, Ed, I'm I done babysitting the girl?"

"Yes, we got approved some funding and we have acquired a home. We got two available agents to be her foster parents." Said Ed while putting out a cigarette at his end of the call.

"Cool. Who's getting hauled out here in Kansas?" said Hendrick happily.

"Agents Freeman and Winters."

"What?!" Hendrick almost yelled out.

"Do you have a problem with that, Hendrick?" said Ed in a mocking tone.

"No, I just hate those two, sir. I'll still act professional with them, but I wished you assigned someone else here."

"Too bad. They'll be a while so expect them around tomorrow. In the mean time, go interview the girl for anything."

"Can Carter do that? I am not good with kids."

"Hendrick... Shut up. I'll let Carter know of the developments." Ed told Hendrick before hanging up on him.

"God damn it." Hendrick then went to go talk to Caitlyn. He expected nothing useful would come of it but whatever.

* * *

Carter had just got off the phone with Ed. It was great more resources were being put into the investigation of Brightburn. Something big was happening here. He hoped that maybe more information can be found for further funding.

Carter was parked nearby the school. Students were leaving to go home and Carter observed the crowd for sight of Brandon Breyer. That kid was no where to be found. Carter squinted his eyes, closely observing the faces of students.

"Where is that kid?" Carter muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Brandon snuck out to the back with his costume in hand. It was time. The ship called to him.

He dashed into the surrounding forests and quickly put on his mask. In no time, Brandon was in the presence of his ship as he left it last time. Red pulsing lights passed through the branches of the trees that partially blocked the entrance. Brandon felt a chill down his spine before hearing the voices.

His orders were simple. He was given a few targets to destroy that will cause a great wave of fear, thought the ship gave him one specific target first. It demanded him to train how to rapidly take out buildings. He was then given a quick vision of an abandoned mill, which he quickly recognized. It was in Brightburn. Without hesitation, Brandon flew to the old mill.

While Brandon flew, he had a recollection on the mill. He remembered his traitorous adopted father, Kyle Breyer, once telling him about the mill. They passed it once when they went to go hunting, and during the car ride Kyle told Brandon about it.

"You know, my father worked at that mill, Brandon. Everyday, he would get up early in the morning and be there as soon as he could. He took pride in his hard work. It was if he had a sense of purpose. He worked with..."

Kyle talked about it almost lamentingly. Brandon never met his grandfather but he wasn't all that interested in doing so then. He never had much thought about it. It was most likely possible he was dead just like his son Kyle.

Brandon shrugged away the thoughts. That man betrayed him. He tried to kill him! If only someone actually loved Brandon enough to see he is here to do good for the world. It's his for the taking!

Finally, Brandon was at the mill, floating over the derelict facility. There were a few buildings for him to destroy as practice before continuing to the real targets. He would skip this but he felt he shouldn't disobey the ship. After all, it awakened him and wants him to take the world which is what he wants.

The skill Brandon needed to perform is quickly flying through or by the structure while using his heat vision. It would be swift and a quick get away to reach other targets.

He quickly flew far to his left to do a fly by. He targeted a set of concrete silos. In a few seconds, after going by the silos with his heat vision, Brandon returned to the spot in the air over the facility. He watched as the silos loudly creaked and fell apart. It was precise demolition. Brandon felt personally satisfied and thought he may not need to practice after all.

Brandon flew away toward his targets which included a warehouse, a gas station, weigh station, and a grocery store. This were minor locations but they were a start to get Brightburn into a constant state of fear. There will be a face to the terror that has been occurring in the town.

Before Brandon destroyed the silo, within the mill a teenager was spray painting on the walls. He happened to spot Brandon in the sky as he was leaving to go meet up with friends. That teenager recorded Brandon in the air along with destroying the concrete silos. He was speechless at what he was looking at. As soon as he got home, he was going to upload the video onto his social media accounts in the faint hope of an explanation, along with views and likes.

Brandon had a smile under his mask as he soared through the air.

* * *

Hendrick waited outside of the station. He looked both ways down the road for Carter.

"_Hurry the hell up, Carter."_ Thought Hendrick. Then, Hendrick finally saw Carter driving up the road to his location. Carter pulled over to the side of the road close to Hendrick, and rolled down the window.

"Took you long enough." Hendrick commented.

"Whatever. Anything from the girl?" Carter asked.

"Nope. Nothing. Thank god because it was kind of awkward."

"Well, Ed told me about the expansion on the operation here on Brightburn. We'll leave the girl to Freeman and Winters when they get here tomorrow. Get in so we could listen in on that Breyer kid." Ordered Carter after giving a loud sigh. Hendrick quickly went around the car to enter the front passenger seat.

Carter wondered if he should tell Hendrick about his failure to find the boy. He was no where to be found at school, and he hate to think the worst.

"_Did the kid fell victim?_" Questioned Carter earlier in his head. He had no way to know and it was more likely that he just failed to spot him. Although, Carter doesn't like to admit defeat. He can be quite the perfectionist.

As the car began to drive away, Hendrick turned on the radio scanner for anything interesting.

"A collapse has occurred at Milton's Storage Warehouse. In need of additional..." The chatter in the radio were saying.

"Aren't we lucky? That sounds worth looking into." Said Hendrick. Carter remained silent and had an emotionless expression on his face. He was thinking about whether to detour from spying on Brandon, but he made his decision.

"I guess so. Lots of unfortunate things been happening around so why not." Carter turned the car around at the direction the warehouse was located. He recall passing by that place.

* * *

Various men stood around a warehouse floor. Some held weapons openly while some concealed theirs. There were two groups present on opposite sides of the facility. They were surrounded by crates, carboard boxes, racks, and various shelves. Two men spoke to one another that lead the two groups at the center.

"Okay, Charlie, I hope ye have the 'sugar'. Our boss ain't the guy to fuck with." One of the men said who had a thick Southern accent, and wore a suit. A small swastika tattoo was present on his neck, though it was sometimes obscured by his shoulder-length blonde hair.

"Don't worry. We have it," said Charlie as he waved a hand at someone his side to push in a hand truck that had three boxes stacked on top each other, "Why would we disappoint? Do you have the cash, Jack?" Charlie wore a flannel shirt with a pair of blue jeans. He was tall and had a black hair that was combed back.

Meanwhile, three more hand trucks with boxes were being rolled in between the two negotiating men.

"Hell yeah I do! Leonard, show dis guy his payment." Said Jack as he turned to speak to Leonard. Leonard was a short, overweight man that had brown hair in a bowl haircut. He had on a large duffel bag over his right shoulder, which he took off and tossed right in between the exchange.

"Thank ya, Leonard." Jack said with a smile.

Charlie went and grabbed the bag closer to him. He kneeled down, opened the bag where he found lots of rolled up bills in rubber bands.

"Ooh, bless the lord!" Commented Charlie as he looked through the bag. As he did, little did he know, or anyone for that matter, that this deal was likely to be their last. As Charlie counted, a loud boom occurred along with red streaks of light.

It all happened so quick. Charlie looked up to see Jack gone but splatted pieces all over the room. Some of the men beside Jack had burned streaks on them and they laid dead on the ground as the others nearby looked on in confusion and horror. Next, there was a loud creaking sound as the warehouse started to collapse. Charlie turned to see his men and saw that some of them were dead in the same way. As the building collapsed, the two remaining groups began to open fire on each other, believing that somehow the other is responsible. Charlie quickly grabbed the bag of money and narrowly avoided being hit by bullets. He jumped behind a forklift that was sandwiched next to wooden pallets wrapped in plastic. Unfortunately, a bullet struck him in the calf.

Finally, the building came down, crushing an unfortunate few to death or impaling some. Dust flew around and there was the smell of something burning somewhere. Charlie fainted as a wave of fear swept over him. He believed he was going to die and he saw his crooked life flash before his eyes.

* * *

"I was telling Rachel the other night that BBQ chips are the best flavor and she..." A teenager was saying to his friend at a gas station. The clerk, Joe, listened to the teen with annoyance as he scanned the items he placed to purchase, which was a bag of barbecue flavored potato chips, a bottle of water, and some gummy worms. Finally, the teen and his friend left as Joe gave them their change.

"_Please let there be no else coming today._" Thought Joe. He really just wanted to sit and read a book he had been meaning to finish. It was a science-fiction, fantasy novel.

What he liked about the job is that he was able to do other things and still get paid for it. It was only everyone once in a while someone came by. Most prefer to just keep on heading to Brightburn where they could find gas. The station he was in was only a mile and a half away. Still, some people stopped by.

Before getting to his book which he placed beneath the counter, Joe remembered he had to take out the trash. He almost always forgot about it and he didn't want to get any flack for it again like last time. The trash can was near the entrance of the station which was shaped in the likeness of a soda can. He got the bag inside it and went out the front. The dumpster was located at the side of the structure.

Joe quietly whistled his way and as soon as he lifted the lid, his world went black. All he heard was a loud boom and something hard hitting him in the back. It was a piece of debris from Brandon rushing by and exploding the old gas station. It is an awful shame Joe would never know the end of the book he was reading.

* * *

Various trucks were parked into a weigh station. A large trucker stepped out of his truck to use the restroom. Sadly, the restroom in the building of the weigh station had plumbing issues and there was a portable toilet outside to use.

He quickly entered the portable with much reluctance but he didn't want to defecate in his pants. The smell was awful inside the toilet and it was going to get worse. He gave a disgusting release which quickly relieved him. As he was using the toilet, several loud explosions and creaking occurred outside. Then, the portable toilet fell back with great force.

After being covered in human filth, the trucker got out of the toilet with anger but that faded away quickly. After swinging the door open and peering out, he saw trucks engulfed in flames along with the building nearby. Good thing he used the toilet for he would have shit himself at that moment.

* * *

A young girl ran up to her mother with a box of cereal within the local grocery store of Brightburn. She had a large smile on her face and she held up the box as high as she could.

"Can we get it?" She begged in a soft voice.

"Sure, dear." Her mother responded with a smile.

"Yay!" Then the girl proceeded to put the box of cereal in the box. The girl's mother looked at a slip of paper that had items written down on it that they needed to purchase.

The young girl looked at a shelf of canned foods as she swung her arms around. She was only a few feet away from her mother with the shopping cart.

"Let's go, sweetie." Her mother said in a friendly tone. The girl complied and was at her mother's side. As they exited the aisle, a loud sound occurred of things breaking. The lights within the store flickered and the building seemed to shake.

The girl's mother assumed it was an earthquake so she quickly grabbed her daughter. They ducked beside the shopping cart against a mostly empty shelf in case the roof collapsed, which it definitely did.

Brandon had to go through the building a second time to get the job done. Some fires were also starting to grow thanks to Brandon's heat vision.

As the ceiling fell, the mother clutched her screaming daughter tightly.

* * *

Brandon felt proud of himself. He left behind lots of destruction within minutes! Only someone like himself could do such a feat.

Brandon floated high into the air, almost obscured by low passing clouds. He quickly recalled his aunt and so he went home. A large cloud of smoke was starting to come out of the grocery story he just leveled.

"_The world is mine for the taking!_" Brandon thought as he flew across the sky.

* * *

Under the waves, a humanoid figure silently floated. With dark glowing green eyes, it just waited patiently as a ship was coming in the distance. It grew a set of tentacles from its torso that had barbed tips. More materials were needed and at the bottom of the South China Sea hundreds waited in the darkness to harvest what they could from the ship once it sunk. They just need a little more for them to be ready. Soon they will all feed and welcome His return.

The figure then started to move once the ship got close enough, right above where the others were waiting. Without hesitation it propelled itself toward the ship, quickly bringing doom for all aboard. Humans were going to be so easy. There will be no one getting in their way.

This world will be theirs for the taking!


	6. Eve

Caitlyn had a new home in Brightburn. She was taken under the care of a couple, though they weren't a happy couple. They would act rude to each other when she wasn't around. It was odd. Also, they spoke to the men in suits that would sometimes come by the house.

Caitlyn hadn't spoken much to her new caretakers and kept to herself most of the time. She wished she was anywhere else other than Brightburn. The news have been reporting lots of bad stuff happening in their little town, and it gave Caitlyn anxiety. Unexplained things have been happening for a whole week and it seems there is no end.

Buildings have been destroyed, people have been killed, and there have been sightings of a figure flying through the sky. It was as if the world was ending.

Caitlyn was in her room using her laptop in bed watching a video about a news report regarding the presence of a strange symbol seen around Kansas. Lots of conspiracy theories have surfaced about the significance of it.

Recently, the military have been reported being around Brightburn. Some people believe it could be a foreign country or some terrorist group involved. Others say possible experiments are why they were there. What kinds of experiments were claimed from anything between super soldiers to orbital lasers. There was so much stuff said about the situation it honestly gave Caitlyn a bit of a headache when she had to sort through videos and forums to find more sound speculation. She usually didn't bother with this sort of stuff but she was desperate for answers of any kind.

Caitlyn clicked on another video which features a news segment discussing the incidents that have been happening with a government official. The video started with the reporter talking.

"So people have been concerned about what has been occurring in Kansas all over on social media. The footage we shown of the figure in the sky has raised further questions. Can you shed light on what has been occurring?"

The government official first fixed his tie and cleared his throat before he started to read out his scripted response he had rehearsed many times before he arrived to the news station.

"In Kansas, we are dealing with a case of domestic terrorism. Organized crime syndicates may be involved but we are still investigating that matter. Further details can not be released at this time but we are working hard at resolving the issue." The government official said calmly.

"That's awful and I hope for a speedy resolution. There is one thing I like to ask you. Recently, online footage has surface of a mysterious figure in the sky being sighted near various sites in Kansas. This has lead to lots of online speculation that this figure has something to do with the military presence at the state. Do you care to comment?" The reporter eagerly asked.

"Yeah, I seen it and it is likely nothing but a hoax. How come these types of things always have blurry footage? I wouldn't worry about this. It belongs on tabloids." The government official said before giving a small chuckle and smile to the camera.

"Alright. Thank you for clarifying." The reporter managed to say before the video ended.

Caitlyn scrolled down the list of recommended videos at the side of the screen. It featured more news clips and videos of online personalities speculating on the events at Brightburn.

She opened a new tab looked for any news articles. She saw a few headlines regarding Kansas and others discussing another disappearing ship in the South China Sea. She heard only a little bit about the subject but she was too preoccupied to invest herself into that.

Caitlyn sighed and logged off her computer. She closed the monitor down and placed it on top the drawer next to her bed. She crawled under the blankets of her bed and balled up into a fetal position. She closed her eyes and she hoped to fall asleep. She didn't want to think about anything. There was a sense of foreboding when she did pondered on her surroundings.

She still felt fear from the nights Brandon Breyer entered her room, especially the night her mother disappeared. Caitlyn's thoughts started to shift toward her mother. Caitlyn couldn't begin to imagine what Brandon did to her. Her eyes started to become teary and she moved her head so she could shove into the pillow. She didn't want to cry. She wanted to be hopeful but deep down she knew better. Her mother was most likely dead. She had experienced Brandon's speed and strength. For the latter, she had the cast on her right hand to prove it. She deep down believed Brandon was the one responsible for the tragic incidents around town like the plane crash.

She lifted her face out from the pillow and moved her body to face the ceiling. She still was fighting back tears.

_I wish everything was the way it was_ _before_. Caitlyn sadly thought. A tear started to trickle down her cheek which was followed by a couple more. She silently cried as she placed the blankets over herself. She needed to cry after all that happened so far. She needed to mourn.

_Love you, mom._ Caitlyn thought.

* * *

"Hello, I am agent Carter and this is my partner, Hendrick. We have some questions for you, Charlie." Carter said with Hendrick at his side to Charlie who was injured.

Charlie was handcuffed to a hospital bed inside a room where he was being observed by a lone security camera.. He had a few bandages on him as a result of a few burns, and he was also shot in the leg which was now healing.

"I am not talking to you, pigs. Piss off." Charlie said with not a lot of energy. He sounded tired.

"Please cooperate. Now, you were reportedly found among the debris of a warehouse near the town of Brightburn here in Kansas. Please tell us what happened."

"N-no." Charlie nervously replied. He didn't want to incriminate himself since he was at that warehouse to perform a drug deal. He did remember that something strange occurred but Charlie felt the two men before him wouldn't believe him if he told them. Also, he wasn't exactly sure what happened for it all happened too quick.

"We know you are involved in the drug trade and you were meeting some people there. We don't care about your illegal practices. All we want to know is what happened. What do you remember?" Carter questioned before he stared at Charlie.

Charlie was silent and stared back at Carter. Hendrick silently observed the two before Carter spoke.

"If you tell us what you remember, you will be let go once you are fully healed. Refusal to cooperate is not an option." Said Carter. He then gestured to Hendrick who went toward a table in the room that had a black bag on it. Hendrick opened it and took out several devices which he laid out on the table. Charlie looked on at the table with a growing feeling of dread.

_What the fuck? This is some sort of intimidation tactic?_ Charlie thought.

"Did anything odd occurred at the warehouse?" Carter asked a visibly nervous Charlie. Hendrick picked up a small device that resembled a rod that had a bottom on the side like a pen. Hendrick pushed it and at the tip of the device three sharp serrated blades popped out. Charlie trembled and understood they were serious.

Charlie couldn't help but tell them what happened since he rather not get tortured. He was likely to get beaten up by his boss for failing the deal if he was to be let go.

* * *

Agents Freeman and Winters were downstairs of their assigned home where they are to monitor Caitlyn. They were in the kitchen preparing themselves meals while they waited for Carter and Hendrick to return.

Freeman was a tall man with a dark skin tone. He hardly had much hair on his head and his face always looked morose. He silently boiled a hotdog in water which he observed with his tired eyes. He had been busy installing cameras outside the house.

Meanwhile, Winters was making herself a cup of coffee at the kitchen counter. She was a short woman with a bob haircut. She looked angry most of the time.

"Should we check in on the girl?" Winters suddenly asked her partner regarding Caitlyn while pouring coffee into a mug

"No. I am sure she's fine." Freeman said lifelessly. He wasn't really paying attention to what Winters said for he was concentrated on the hotdog as it floating in the boiling water. It was a depressing sight.

Agent Winters took a small drink from the mug and walked out of the kitchen to head to the basement of the house. They kept a few items there such as two assault weapons, medical kits, and a radio set that allowed Freeman and Winters to hear chatter from all around Brightburn.

Freeman turned off the stove and used a fork to get the hotdog out to place onto a plate with a hotdog bun. Next, Freeman emptied the water in the pot into the kitchen sink, and he proceed back to the hotdog to eat it. After finishing his sad meal, he left the kitchen and watched television in the living room.

_Where are those guys?_ Freeman thought regarding Carter and Hendrick.

* * *

Ed was in his office looking at reports on his computer regarding the recent string of disappearing ships in the South China Sea. The report simply mentions that the Chinese government were looking into it and spies within their ranks were monitoring the situation for further data.

While Ed continued to look at other reports, Hendrick and Carter barged into the room. Ed leaned back into his chair and greeted the two agents.

"Hello, boys." Ed said with a smile.

"Hello, sir. We finished with the guy found in the warehouse wreckage from the town. Here is your bag." Carter said as he placed the black bag from earlier onto Ed's desk.

"I'm guessing my old torture kit made him sing?" Ed asked.

"Hell yeah he did." Hendrick responded before Carter could answer Ed.

"Anyway, we will be heading back to Brightburn." Said Carter.

"Go meet up with some of the military there before you go see Freeman and Winters. I got off the phone with the Director and the governor of Kansas has informed the soldiers of your presence. They are officially going to be your personal muscle when you need it down there. Remember to keep your interaction with them on a need-to-know basis."

"Well, uh, thank you, sir. That's great. Things have been looking grim down there with all the dead bodies and collapsed buildings." Responded Hendrick.

"Thank the Director. Now get out of here. Oh, and knock next time." Said Ed.

"Yes, sir." Carter and Hendrick replied simultaneously. The two agents then left the room and Ed returned to looking at various reports.

* * *

Caitlyn had gotten out of her bed. She wasn't able to sleep but at least she had a good cry. She went to a desk in her room which had a notebook and some pens on it. She took a seat while rubbing her eyes.

She then grabbed and opened the notebook to a blank page. Next, Caitlyn picked up a black pen. She decided to draw to pass the time.

She started by attempting to draw a flower. As she sketched the image, in the forests Brandon's ship glowed and whispers came out of it while it did.

While Caitlyn drew, she saw red flashes. She heart was starting to beat faster and she started to hear faint whispers. She continued to draw but she went of course with what she was originally drawing. Caitlyn saw more red flashes and began breathing heavily, her heart beating faster. She started to move the pen quicker, scribbling away like she had no control. The flashes grew more intense and the whispers became louder. Caitlyn then saw the image of burning cities and piles of corpses.

Finally, it all ceased and Caitlyn was left gasping for air. She was confused and looked down at the notebook. She had drawn a black silhouette of a humanoid figure with multiple limbs with a round, long body in what looked like a fetal position inside a circle with lines protruding outward, signifying rays of light. Caitlyn trembled in fear for she was uncertain of what was happening.

Meanwhile, the lights of Brandon's ship dimmed down and the whispers became calm. It was rapidly processing data and had one message to itself which it told in its alien language.

_Located. Viable. Commencing next stage on selected specimen. Pre-set directives are going accordingly. Transmitting full progress report._

The ship then deactivated after it broadcasted a transmission into the depths of space. While that occurred, Brandon hovered over a forest near a freeway using his heat vision to ignite a massive forest fire. The flames raged on beneath him and he watched the plumes of smoke rise for a while. He felt immensely satisfied with himself. He loved the attention he was receiving for his slowly growing list of atrocities in and around Brightburn.

Then, he quickly vanished from the air as he soared back home. The ship had nothing else for him to do. Hopefully it will have something more fun to do. Brandon wanted to exercise his powers more. He'll have to wait a while longer.

* * *

Carter and Hendrick observed the wild fire that was started by Brandon inside their car as they drove on the freeway. They arrived shortly after Brandon left.

"Sheesh. This place is starting to suck even more. It's literally turning into Hell. I guess someone didn't listen to those commercials!" Hendrick commented.

Carter sighed. He had little to say on the subject. They continued to drive down the freeway.

* * *

At the depths of the dark ocean, a sunken city dimly glowed due to the bioluminescence on areas of its structures. Legions of horrid creatures obscured by shadows and the surrounding murky water moved about. A nearby graveyard of ships was quickly being disassembled with a humanoid being watching over them, floating with their arms stretched out. The figure's eyes glowed partially bright, and behind those eyes it was thinking.

_Our time draws nearer. Soon we will march forth and devour all in our way. When He awakens, our glory will be everlasting for we are written._

The figure then quickly swam toward the depths of the city, entering a series of tunnels that connected the structures together in elaborate ways. It was like looking at a complex spider web that formed at a corner.

The figure went to the center of the city which a massive, lit tower with a spire at the top was located. Others spire protruded from along the sides of the building which leaned upward. From time to time, bolts of electricity zapped from the tips of the spires to each other.

Soon the next stage was to begin. Other places down at the ocean floor were almost finished in their preparations.


	7. Terror At Sea

A submarine dived into the South China Sea while several boats waited back at the surface. The sea was mostly calm and the sun was out. There were a few clouds in the sky that were distant from each other.

Onboard one of the ships were two spies, named Zhang and Jack, that managed to get themselves assigned to the investigation of what has been happening to the ships in the area. They observed monitors at the command center displaying live footage from the submarine. They bugged the system to transmit the video feed back to the headquarters of their organization. The two spies occasionally glanced at each other for they were seated beside each other.

Earlier they had a conversation back in their assigned living cabin before the ships arrived to the location.

"So, Zhang, what do you think we'll find?" Jack said as he laid on the top of the bunk bed while looking at the ceiling.

"I don't know which is why we are here, Jack. No doubt it's something terrible if ships just disappear. It doesn't help the distressed signals sent by one of the ships didn't say much." Zhang stated while he sat hunch over a small desk replacing the lens of a spy camera with tweezers, though it was somewhat difficult due to the ship rocking.

"Yeah... Hey, put that cam away. Wouldn't want anyone to walk in and see it."

"There's not much to do and I been meaning to fix it. Now seems like the best time." Zhang replied.

"Replacements are free." Jack said as he turned in his bed to look down at Zhang.

"I know but it be a waste."

"What if we get caught with it? I don't want to be imprisoned or dumped into the sea." Jack complained as he gotten off of the bunk bed. He crouched down to a duffel bag near the beds. He unzipped it and took out a small bag that contained saltine crackers. There was a long silence before Jack ended it with a more serious subject.

"I guess we should be more worried of us disappearing with the whole ship. I wonder if we would be forever lost or be found years later... Do you sometimes wonder if we really make a difference in the world? Even if we die?"

"I try not to think about, Jack. We'll be fine." Assured Zhang as he looked away from the spy camera to face Jack.

"I hope so. I really hoped to go see Japan next month. Yeah. Anyway, I'm going to the restroom, Zhang."

"Oh, well, okay." Zhang replied as he observed Jack leave the room. When Jack left, Zhang was left pondering on the potential danger they were in but he had a small bit of hope.

Back to the present, Zhang and Jack continued to look at each other at the command center before resuming their duties monitoring the submarine.

The submarine had various lights on it and slowly made its decent to the ocean floor. Two people were inside it.

Meanwhile, the humanoid being was within the tower at the center of the sunken city. The interior of the complex was industrial in appearance, filled with sound from moving mechanical parts, some of which were fused with organic material. Everything inside was devoid of any color, appearing gloomy.

The figure was standing in the middle of a large, dome-shaped room that projected holographic images of various planets and star systems. It was interrupted when the projections turned into the image of the submarine descending along side a warning message.

The humanoid was heading out of the tower through an airlock, which quickly filled with water. Soon it was outside and headed toward the submarine. Several massive creatures lifted their heads up from among the buildings of the city to observe their master leaving.

"Nothing on the sonar. Read me command?" One of the submarine pilots said to his headset microphone.

"We got you." Someone from command responded.

The submarine continued without incident down to the ocean, becoming deeper within the darkness of the sea. The lights aboard the submarine barely illuminated much.

Then, something passed one of the cameras.

"I think I'm seeing something, command."

"We saw it too. Temporarily cease descent."

The being watched the submarine from the darkness where it grew crustacean limbs and tentacles. It then rushed toward the side of submarine with immense speed. It grabbed and torn the metal of the vehicle apart. The cameras caught blurry glimpses of the creature's limbs before going offline. All that remained was the sound of rushing water and screams.

Zhang and Jack gave a grim look to each other back at the control center while personnel scrambled to reestablish contact with the submarine.

The pieces of the submarine along with the bodies of the two pilots slowly sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The humanoid swam upward toward the surface while growing longer tentacles lined with thick, organic armor plating.

The radar systems of the boats detected the presence of the being as it propelled itself. Zhang and Jack rose from their stations and moved toward the exits while everyone at the command center were too preoccupied with the situation at hand. Before they reached the door, the two were called out by someone at a monitor nearby the exit.

"Where are you two going?" A deep feminine voice said.

The two turned and saw a woman that wore a pair of glasses looking at them. She squinted her eyes and was going to say something else but she was interrupted by hearing the other ship over the speakers present.

"We are under attack!"

Everyone looked at the monitors except for Zhang and Jack.

The other ship was quickly being torn about by the humanoid who whipped its tentacles at the bottom of the ship before going inside. A section of the ship had also exploded, leading to more water going inside. The being got to a section of the ship that was not flooded but two men were closing a metal door which it grabbed and pulled back. The men on the other side looked in horror at the entity, particularly at its face.

It had no jawline which made its face blend with its neck. It's mouth was a lip-less, vertical slit with sharp needle-like teeth. The worst were the glowing, lifeless eyes it had.

The men were frozen with fear while water rushed by their ankles from the lower levels of the ship. Before they could attempt to move, their heads were quickly sliced off by a tentacle. The humanoid continued forward, tearing at the ship from the inside by rapidly flailing its powerful tentacles. Cameras aboard the ship captured its destructive path before getting destroyed.

A few members of the crew armed themselves with pistols and proceeded down to subdue the entity while the rest evacuated to the deck which had a helicopter landing pad. It was a group of five individuals and they met the entity at a corridor, continuing to rend the ship. It was at the end and it looked at them. The group immediately opened fired upon the creature that was before them and it rushed toward them while lashing out with its tentacles. The bullets had no effect and soon the men were torn apart.

Back at the other ship, Jack and Zhang retreated to their room to collect their possessions.

"Sea monster. Had to be a sea monster." Jack muttered to himself as he grabbed the duffel bag and wore it over his shoulder.

"It likely can be killed. Let's get out of here. HQ will definitely have seen the feed and they'll handle everything else." Zhang said to Jack as he opened a cabinet and took out extra ammunition for his gun hidden on his person.

The two spies proceeded to leave the room to get to the deck where there would be a helicopter landing pad as well. Meanwhile, the humanoid had completely destroyed the ship and it was quickly sinking. The ship was tilted to its side and unfortunately the helicopter on top rolled down into the sea before it could take off with some crew members.

It exited from the wrecked vessel, leaving those alive to drown or be food for its army down below. It quickly went toward the other vessel where Zhang and Jack were located. Other boats present, which were smaller, attempted to flee while they had time but it would be futile for the humanoid was faster than them and would catch up.

Like before, it lashed at the ship, creating large gashes on the side that led to water flooding in. It then moved toward the surface and used its tentacles to grab the railings on the side to lift itself onto the deck where many crew members were to get aboard the helicopter. It slaughtered everyone present, and Jack and Zhang arrived on time to watch it head to the helicopter and destroy it. They watched with dread.

"We're fucked." Jack exclaimed to Zhang as they both watched the bizarre being before them crawled toward the railing and drop itself into the water.

"Fuck it, I'm calling for assistance. I am not sure if HQ has an understanding of what's happening. Get the satellite phone from the bag, Jack!" Zhang ordered as he looked around wondering what they would do. Jack found the phone and handed it to Zhang. He quickly dialed the number of the nearest aerial aid that could come.

While the phone rang, a crew member exited from the ship to the deck and looked on in horror at the bodies.

"What the hell happened here?" Asked the crew member before Jack drew out a pistol from the bag and shot them. They didn't need any distractions at the moment.

Someone fortunately answered their call and Zhang eagerly asked for an emergency pick-up. He was assured by the operator that a helicopter was on its way.

Meanwhile, the ship was continuously being attacked and was sinking faster at a down angle. Zhang and Jack then proceeded to the bow of the ship and looked at each other with despair in their faces.

"So... Let's keep an optimistic attitude that rescue will come in time?" Jack said to Zhang.

"Whatever. Just get ready to shoot at the monster if we see it again. Also, be ready to hold onto the railing."

* * *

_Pests. I hoped for a challenge with these humans but oh well. Perhaps we'll see what futile might mankind would present to us when we rise that may actually offer a challenge. A small part of me hopes for at least a small thrill before we clamp down our jaws upon our weak foes and snuff them out. What a pleasure that will be in the name of our Lord._

The figure watched on from the water as the two large ships sank. Crew members frantically swam towards nowhere, and they were devoured one by one by several large, mutated sharks summoned by the being to finish them off so it can go pursue the other ships. Although, it would have loved to watch every second of the terrified humans as they flailed in the water.

It approached one of the vessels underwater. At the hull, there were three windows and someone looked through one of them with a camera connected to a computer. They took multiple pictures and quickly looked at the computer nearby which was on a table. They immediately sent the images to various individuals before they heard a loud thud. They looked up and saw the face of the being at the window.

The humanoid reeled its head back and rammed it at the glass, leading to water rapidly flooding inside. It used its tentacles to widen the opening and proceeded to the next ship.

It rushed through the water and tore the hulls apart of all the other ships. It then had a thought.

_Hmm. More material._

It then sent out a psychic communication to its brethren far below to prepare for disassembling the vessels. It didn't hurt to have extra material.

* * *

Zhang and Jack clutched at pieces of floating debris. They watched shark fins poke out from the surface of the water and moving about to feast on survivors.

"I-I don't think they'll come in time, man." Jack said to Zhang as he shivered.

"Uh, no, they'll make it. Hold on a while longer." Zhang replied as he looked around at the sky, hoping to see the helicopter.

"Hey, man... It's been a pleasure working with y-you."

"Shut up, Jack. Don't get all sentimental with me right now."

The two then turned their heads to see a shark fin slowly heading toward them.

"Fuck... Cyanide tablet?" Zhang said to Jack while he continued to watch the fin get closer.

"I-I g-got them in my pocket." Jack replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Me too. To the count of three, we swallow the pills."

"Alright..."

"And Jack... It was nice working with you too."

Jack and Zhang smiled to each other before they met their inevitable end.

* * *

Ed was in his office. He was looking at many new reports on his computer. He clicked on the newest report that was an update regarding the potential anomaly at the South China Sea.

He read through it. It detailed the lost of two operatives, the sinking of various ships, and recovered images of whatever was responsible which was at the bottom of the page.

Ed was looking at the photo of the sea creature when it was approaching the ship with the person that photographed it. He quietly stared at it until seeing there was more to the report. It stated that somehow the image appeared online and efforts were being done to discredit the image.

Ed sighed and closed the file.

* * *

The underwater city rumbled as ancient machines were being reactivated. Several hydrothermal vents opened up and the creatures that lurked in the city sang a horrid song with no meaning in twisted celebration for the ultimate feast to come.

The monstrous humanoid figure from earlier was back in the tower at the center of the city, sitting on a rectangular, elevated throne made of a dark colored stone. The room was like a dome and both sides of the chamber were symmetrical pedestal displays that had ancient artifacts from long forgotten places and times.

The being sat back in its throne and held up the side of its head with one of its hands. It was motionless and stayed that way for a while with only its thoughts for company. For it, things were going to be very interesting after all the years of waiting and preparing.


	8. Love And War

Brandon sat in his noisy class drawing in his notebook with a smile on his face. Everyone in town to the whole country was talking about him and his actions. He even saw that he has been nicknamed online as "Brightburn" after the town by those that seen the footage of him in the sky. He did loved all the indirect attention. Behind him, Brandon could hear pieces of a conversation between two classmates talking about the wildfire he caused.

Soldiers were present at the school. To be frank, soldiers were at many places, guarding them from Brandon if he was to appear. He hadn't battled them since the ship advised him not to do that.

Ms. Espenschied called for her students' attention which made everyone in the room silent and look toward the front of the class where she stood. Brandon paused from drawing and looked up. All she did was welcome the class and introduce a new subject relating to biology. Brandon already knew a lot and resumed drawing. Brandon was depicting himself fighting the military.

After a while, he turned the page to draw something new. He stared at the page with a blank expression as he tried to think of what to draw. Then suddenly he had an idea. Brandon decided to draw Caitlyn. He wondered why he hadn't done so already but he chalked it up to him being busy with other matters. As he started to draw Caitlyn, he pondered on where she was. He had heard from eavesdropping on her friends that she may be returning to class that day.

Meanwhile, agent Winters drover her car with Caitlyn in the passenger seat up to the front of the school, and they were late. Caitlyn was quiet the whole ride despite the effort of Winters to have her open up. Little did she know, Caitlyn largely didn't want to speak due to her fear of seeing Brandon in class. She had purposely stalled that morning for ass long as possible. Fortunately, Caitlyn's counselor did change her class out of consideration since she had her arm broken by Brandon, and wanted to prevent further incidents. Of course, that wouldn't do much if Brandon wanted to actually do something to her. Nobody could stop him.

"Have a great day!" Winters said to Caitlyn with a forced smile. Caitlyn ignored Winters and kept her sight on the school while she got out of the car. Winters sighed as she observed Caitlyn slowly head into the building, passing a couple of soldiers that were at the entrance. Winters then finally drove away, not worrying much about Caitlyn due to the soldiers being informed by Carter and Hendrick that she is "essential." Carter and Hendrick couldn't think of any other way to state her significance to the organization they worked for without revealing too much information. Nonetheless, Caitlyn was surrounded by good people.

Next, Winters returned to the house where she found Carter, Hendrick, Freeman, and a few soldiers standing in the front lawn. She pulled up in the driveway and got out of the car to approach them.

"Good morning, Cassandra." Carter said to Winters.

"Good Morning to you too." Winters replied. She then glared at Hendrick who was drinking a can of soda. Hendrick just shrugged at her and rudely mimicked her usual angry face.

"Cut it out, Hendrick. We got work to do." Carter ordered.

"Just having fun, man." Responded Hendrick before finishing up the soda and placing the can gently on the steps that lead to the front door of the house.

Once Hendrick returned, they all go inside the house except for the soldiers who waited outside.

Back at the school, Caitlyn navigated the halls toward her new class. She was trembling in fear in regard to Brandon being in the same building as her in Ms. Espenschied's class. She then found her class and took a deep breath before she entered to calm herself.

When she entered, Caitlyn was greeted by the teacher and a loud classroom. She then was assigned a seat which she went to without making a sound. She looked around and so no one she was familiar with. Later she would see her friends.

Soon it was lunch time and Brandon happily packed up his stuff into his backpack. He had proudly finished sketching out Caitlyn's likeness and thought he should color it after he finished eating.

While the halls were being filled with hungry students leaving class, Caitlyn was reluctant to leave the classroom but she managed to convince herself to leave for lunch. She navigated through the crowd of students and quickly glanced at the passing faces of her peers. She moved to turn at a corner toward the cafeteria but as she did she saw Brandon walk by. She saw him looking at the direction of the cafeteria around the corner and saw the smile on his face. A wave of fear filled Caitlyn and she froze, observing Brandon walking to lunch. Time slowed down for her but as soon as Brandon disappeared behind the corn, time returned to normal for her. She then started taking deep breaths for she realized she didn't breathe the whole time she saw him.

Brandon stopped when he was out of Caitlyn's sight. Deep down, he knew she was nearby. He felt her presence. It had been a while since he saw her actual face. He will approach her when the moment was right.

Later, Caitlyn got her lunch which was a sandwich. She trembled while she searched for a place to sit, glancing side to side. She jumped when she would hear her peers shout out to each other while she traversed the crowds. Finally, she found an empty table against a wall and took a seat where would have no one sneak up on her.

She remained cautious as she unpacked her meal. Once again she scanned the crowd and as she did she heard someone call her name to the right of her. She slowly turned her head in fear but saw that it was just two of her friends, which caused her to sigh in relief.

They came to where Caitlyn sat and spoke to her briefly. One of them asked about her arm.

"How's the arm? Feeling better?"

"Yeah, it's been fine. Thanks for asking, Lori." Caitlyn responded with worry in the back of her mind. She was still alert for Brandon.

"I'd really like to kick the kid's ass that did that." Another said to Caitlyn regarding her injury.

"Uh, it's not a big deal. It was an accident." Dismissed Caitlyn mostly out of concern for her friends from facing whatever power Brandon wielded.

After a couple of minutes, Caitlyn's friends ask to sign Caitlyn's cast to which she allowed. As they signed, Caitlyn looked up and her heart skipped a beat, her eyes widen. Behind rows of moving students, Caitlyn caught a glimpse of Brandon staring at her from a distance. He then suddenly disappeared when another student passed in front of him. She was speechless for a few seconds and she quickly rose from the table.

"I'll see you all later. Bye." Caitlyn said to her friends before running off on them, leaving no time for them to react. They did call out for Caitlyn but they were ignored.

Caitlyn moved through the empty halls of the school while filled with anxiety. Her heart was beating like it was going to come out of her chest.

Caitlyn then turned a corner but stopped in her tracks for Brandon stood a few feet in front of her. He had a smile on his face.

Next, Caitlyn thought of turning around and perhaps hide in the restroom. Deep down she knew all that was pointless but there was nothing more she could think of. She then tried to execute her plan but found herself frozen. She was too scared to move. All she could hear was the distant sounds of students elsewhere in the school and her own heartbeat. The two briefly stared at each other before Caitlyn finally managed to muster the courage to run from Brandon.

Caitlyn went down the halls, sometimes almost slipping before she entered the restroom. She swung open the door and to her surprise she found Brandon was already waiting inside the restroom. He was only a couple of feet away and Caitlyn stiffened in terror. Brandon then quickly moved pass the frighten girl to close the door to the restroom, and stand guard in front of it so Caitlyn wouldn't run off again. She turned to see him at the door but avoided eye contact.

"Hello." Brandon said to Caitlyn in a deadpan expression. He wasn't showing it but he was actually feeling somewhat nervous.

Caitlyn still avoided eye contact and didn't reply back to Brandon.

"Don't be scared." Brandon continued. Of course, Brandon's words didn't make her feel any better and just reminded her of the night her mother disappeared.

Brandon then reached into his pocket and took out a small sunflower which was unfortunately crushed. He then handed it out to Caitlyn awkwardly. Caitlyn saw the flower and again got reminded of that night. Her eyes were getting filled with tears. She tried to breathe to calm herself but it didn't do much.

After a while of Caitlyn not responding to his gesture, Brandon gently placed the flower at the sink. Meanwhile, Caitlyn finally spoke to Brandon.

"W-what do you want?" Caitlyn managed to say to Brandon. One can easily hear the fear in her voice and tell she was fighting back tears. This deeply sadden a small part of Brandon which he hadn't felt since his mother's betrayal. It was something human inside him which he didn't need since he was something so much more. Something better, in his opinion.

"Please... Don't cry. I just wanted to see you up close. I've been busy." Brandon said calmly.

A tear trickled down Caitlyn's face. She knew deep down what Brandon meant by being "busy".

_Making the world know how "special" you are? _Caitlyn thought. She opened her mouth to speak but she said something completely different.

"What happened to my mom?" Caitlyn nervously asked Brandon.

"I took care of her. For us... For you." Brandon replied vaguely. Not only did he killed Caitlyn's mother, he had actually opened up Erica's corpse and displayed her organs for his ship to examine back at the barn where it used to be. He had obtained a lot of insight into the female anatomy that night. It was one thing to read about how the human body worked but another to actually see the inner workings up close. Of course, he will never tell Caitlyn what happened to her mother. No doubt the details would upset her heavily, despite it being for scientific purposes.

"Y-y-you k-killed h-her?" Caitlyn asked as she began to cry.

Brandon said nothing and wanted to comfort her. He then thought that perhaps he could teach her to care nothing about parents, instead see them as burdens like he did.

He took a step toward Caitlyn and hugged her. It frightened Caitlyn and didn't make her feel better. It just made her more depressed and also a bit angry. She wanted to push him away but he might hurt her if she tried.

Brandon then stopped hugging Caitlyn and stepped back away from her. His heart was raising.

"I'll see you later. Class will be starting soon. Also, welcome back." Continued Brandon before he turned to grab the handle of the restroom door to leave, but he briefly stopped to look at Caitlyn one more time. Then, Brandon left which is when the bell rang for students to return to class. Caitlyn remained still for several seconds with tears still in her eyes before she went toward the sink. She washed her face with the cool water that poured out from the faucet. She then took some paper towels and wiped her face with them.

Just as Caitlyn was about to leave, she looked at the sink that had the crushed sunflower. It was curled up next to the drain. At first, Caitlyn felt pity for it but it quickly reminded her of the drawing she mysteriously made. She quickly looked away and exited the restroom.

* * *

The tower at the ocean floor was brighter than before. Every major system was now online and operating sufficiently.

In the throne room, the humanoid being sat, looking at holographic projections of available assets. A tall, lumbering creature then entered the room. It was humanoid and had a pinkish body. Its face resembled a blobfish but lacked a nose or lips. Its eyes were large and green with slit pupils. It had a mouth filled with needle-like teeth along with a thick, forked tongue.

The creature approached in front of the throne and fell to one of it knees with its head bowed out of respect. It then spoke with its deep voice.

"My lord..." Began the creature with its head still bowed.

"Yes, Ourok? What brings you here?" The being replied as it still looked at the holograms and tapped on them.

"We have successfully contacted others outside of this world within this solar system. One inhabits the ninth planet while the other are on one of the moons of the sixth planet. They have been well and patiently await His return. They are pleased to know we are here."

"Excellent... Most excellent news, Ourok." The humanoid said as he waved the holographic projections away. Ourok raised his head and looked up to his master.

"There is more, sire. Our soldiers are ready and await your command." Ourok said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

The being got up from its throne and walked up to the still kneeling Ourok.

"Yes, it is time we strike. Rise, Ourok. I have our first plan of attack in mind." The humanoid said. Ourok happily complied with his master's order. Once standing, he towered over his master who then walked passed him. Ourok turned around and observed as his master move toward the exit.

"Come, Ourok. To the command center." The being ordered.

The two creatures traversed the many halls and corridors of the tower until arriving at their destination. Other creatures were present in the command center, hunched over screens and pressing buttons. They too bowed before their master as soon as it entered. At the center of the room was a panel that projected a hologram of the planet Earth above it. Furthermore, monitors hung over the display that showed specific locations.

On the projection of Earth, a large red triangular blip indicated where they were on the planet. There were several other, more smaller blips which represented their other forces around the world's oceans.

"You see the land where we are close to, Ourok?" The being said as it pointed its scaly finger at East Asia.

"Yes, my lord. I see it."

"We will send a small force to the coastline. I want to test the might of those above."

"They'll be no match for us." Replied Ourok arrogantly.

One of the creatures present in the room, a being whose face consisted of tentacles, then spoke.

"Sire, our systems detected earlier of an industrial platform of sorts that is not far, and vessels unlike we seen before." They said. The monitors then displayed the image of an oil rig and a fleet of Chinese warships.

"Should we also attack those?" The creature asked.

"Yes but only our larger, bestial brethren. Perhaps the Xerca and Ark'Sh Dominus."

"Ah, those two have been eager for you to unleash them." Said Ourok.

Two holograms then appeared that displayed the massive Xerca and Ark'Sh within somewhere deep in the city. The Xerca resembled a killer whale but with various armored plated tentacles at the end of its body instead of a tail. On the sides near its belly, it had two crustacean-like limbs that ended in three fingers. It also had four eyes.

The Ark'Sh resembled a shark but with a set of mandibles and many tongues that had mouths at the end of them. It also had arms and legs that ended in webbed hands. Its skin was fleshy and sometime pulsated like it was a separate living thing.

"Now send them onward." The humanoid being said as it took a seat that was brought in by another creature.

"It will be done." Ourok replied with a large smile.

* * *

Caitlyn tapped at her desk and closely observed the clock present in the classroom. Her right leg shook in anticipation as the hands of the clock move closer and closer toward the bell to ring for everyone to go home.

_Come on..._ Caitlyn thought impatiently. She wanted to leave to avoid Brandon, and be as far as possible from him.

Eventually school ended and she quickly exited the school. Agent Winters was already waiting outside, and was surprised by Caitlyn's quick arrival to the car.

"What's the rush?" Agent Winters politely asked Caitlyn as she entered the car and put on her seat belt.

Caitlyn briefly pondered on Winters' question and obviously doubt she would believe the truth, so she decided upon a lie.

"I have lots of assignments to do for catching up my grade." Caitlyn said.

Winters gave little thought for Caitlyn's lie since it sounded logical. She had been absent from school and she missed on lots of work for her grade. No doubt she was a bit behind from the other students.

Anyway, the car started to move and Caitlyn looked out the window, looking at the group of students for Brandon among them. Fortunately for her, she didn't see him but there was a sense of foreboding still present.

_Not like I'm going that far. He'll find me. It's all futile. Is it? Who can I tell about Brandon? Will I be kept safe?_

Caitlyn shook her head and stopped thinking. Surely an answer would present itself to her. She just had to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Brandon followed behind the car, watching from far in the sky. He didn't have his mask on and he could feel the cold winds at that height touch his face and neck. He didn't react to it and just watched the car as it travelled on the road, but before he did anything he heard the ship call for him in his mind. He'll have to see Caitlyn later instead.

* * *

Ed looked at more reports in his office. He was just looking at an update of the South China Sea incident. It overall stated that warships in the area were going to deal with the threat.

Ed then looked at other reports and files. He stopped at one discussing the wildfire that started near the town of Brightburn. There was no specific cause found for it. In addition, there was a report about the growing online suspicion surrounding the town, and that the being seen in leaked footage had been simply called Brightburn, after the town.

"That's not creative." Ed muttered to himself. He heard better names such as the Dover Demon or even the Rope Witch of Massachusetts. Although, the latter had been completely forgotten about by the public but some may still claim to witness witchcraft. Still, it had been ages since their organization encountered any practitioners in the United States. It is almost an extinct art that remains confine to only to the deepest facilities they own.

Nonetheless, Ed continued to browse the archive. As he did, a notification popped up on screen that stated a new file was submitted to the database. Ed looked at the new file and read it. It stated that the military of China were mobilizing immediately to the southern coastline in response to an emerging threat from the South China Sea.

Ed slumped back in his seat and placed a finger on his chin. He wondered how things were going to play out.

* * *

The oil rig shook violently and slowly sank. The Xerca's tentacles emerged from the waters and grabbed at the facility and pulled on it so it sank faster. The workers aboard screamed as their mysterious attacker brought upon their end.

Elsewhere, the Ark'Sh intercepted the warships. It had its mouth opened wide and exited from the water to deliver a bite to a large ship, which completely broke it in half. The other warships immediately attempted to fight back but some of them were capsized by the raging beast as it flapped its body, producing large waves.

Approaching the southern coast of China, a few rows of crustacean soldiers travelled to battle. They were obscured by the dirt they kicked up in their march but one could see the glow of their small eyes and weapons. Other type of beings were also present.

Back at the city, at the command center, the humanoid figure made an expression that could be interpreted as a smile while it sat, watching the holographic globe.

Ourok stood by his master's side and made a cheerful declaration.

"All hail to our glorious rising!"

The other beasts present in the room loudly cheered. Finally, they will seize the earth after years of patience. Their Eternal Majesty that slumbered away beyond their reach would be greatly pleased.


	9. War of Tomorrow

Soldiers were everywhere at the southern coast of China, especially at the port cities. Those places were in the process of being evacuated under the guise of a potential tsunami. Luckily it was successful for the southern coastline, mostly.

At the city of Xiamen, soldiers moved through the empty streets alongside tanks near the edges of the city. They were headed to the docks to serve as reinforcement for troops positioned there since shipping vessels were disappearing in the South China Sea. At the dock, soldiers laid dead with parts of them disintegrated or chopped off. A group of soldiers took shelter inside a warehouse as they fired outside at their mysterious enemy. Smoke was everywhere and one could hear clicking sounds in the distance before seeing a beam of blue light suddenly strike them.

At beaches elsewhere, soldiers were able to witness the creatures exit the ocean before engaging them in combat. They were large, hunched crustacean humanoids. Some had two legs like a human while others had six legs. They had small faces with four glowing eyes and they were covered in natural armor. They were the most common soldiers of the creatures down below.

The creatures immediately opened fired, launching arching balls of plasma into the air to explode upon soldiers. Beams of light darted across the air along with bullets. They fired from one or two of their forearms which would have an organic cannon in place of claws. Other creatures were there that crawled moved rapidly toward the soldiers with claws ready to rend the human soldiers apart. They would grab whoever and stuff them down their toothy maw.

It was chaos since the soldiers didn't know much of the threat they faced and so on they battled, not knowing what they fight is nothing compared to what lurked in the ocean. Oh, if they only knew.

The two massive beasts, the Xerca and Ark'Sh, proceed to the cities at the coastline to bring upon ruin after they had finished destroying their targets. Their existence had already been reported to the rest of the military and one could expect them to deploy bombers.

Back at the warehouse in Xiamen, a soldier spoke to his comrade from behind cover in the loading area of the warehouse among large crates a few feet apart. An eerie silence came to the docks.

"Things are too quiet..."

"Yes, it is. Toss me some ammo, I am getting low."

The soldier complied and grabbed a clip from his person and slid it across the floor to where the other soldier was. When he reached out to grab the clip, a sudden blast of light came. The two soldiers were quickly vaporized along with the crates. Then, a large quadrupedal creature with limbs similar to a crab quickly crawled into the warehouse, shrieking loudly. On top of it were various spikes.

The other soldiers in the warehouse opened fired on the creature. Some shot from catwalks above, who originally fired out of the windows. The creature responded with shooting out its spikes everywhere.

A soldier was hit directly at the head, becoming split in half, as his body fell over the railing. Others got impaled and the creature charged at the other soldiers that fired from behind the crates. Soon the sound of gunfire faded into screams which in turn became silence. The monsters quickly moved forward toward the city. As they marched on, the corpses they left behind were tended to by strange creatures resembling black sea urchins that crawled on spindly legs like a spider. Their spikes were long and sharp like splinters. Their spikes leaned toward the direction they desired to travel to and they occasionally rattled.

The small spiky creatures as soon as they reached the deceased soldiers, they attached themselves, stabbing their spikes deep into the body. One or two would latch themselves onto a body, but sometimes there would be multiple. The bodies then convulsed as the creature attached them pulsated, digging their spikes deeper into the flesh. The bodies then slowly rose up, still dead but now under the control of the creatures. The reanimated bodies groaned and gurgled as they began to shamble their way down to battle. They twitched and their bones sometimes made a cracking sound.

Meanwhile, the tanks roared through the streets along with the soldiers that marched to engage the enemy. Some soldiers entered the nearby buildings to provide covering fire from above. Soon they were able to hear the distant sounds of the beasts bringing about destruction. They collapsed buildings and blown up wherever one could hide behind.

As one would expect, the two forces fought. Bullets seemed to be unable to harm the large crustacean creatures as they fired plasma or swiped with their claws. A tank did managed to blow one up before being torn apart.

A team of four soldiers sought refuge inside an apartment complex while they radioed for other fellow soldiers throughout the city. A young man with light brown hair among them then separated from them to inspect a sound around the corner of a doorway. The soldier had his gun ready to fire while the others were distracted by attempting to call others or peeking out of the windows for possible threats.

Then, what was around the corner stepped to the doorway. It was a corpse that had an instance of those urchin-like creatures imbedded in the stomach. Blood trickled down from the reanimated corpse while it loudly groaned. The soldier and the creature were still for a second but the soldier proceeded to open fire, which caught the attention of the others.

The corpse shrieked and the small creature then fired a spike at the stomach of the soldier. Pain quickly flooded the soldier for it was deep inside him. He tried to scream but couldn't as he entered shock. The other soldiers entered and fired at the creature as it shambled toward them with arms reach arm for them, spewing out blood filled with small black chunks from its mouth.

The soldier that had a spike in him watched on and felt himself slowly fade away. Poison was flowing through his veins as the creature killed his comrades without flinching at the constant gunshots, despite chunks of flesh falling off from every bullet penetrating through it. Although, it did violently react when the organisms attached to the body was hit which caused it to shoot out more spikes.

At the harbor, the Xerca finally arrived and rose from the sea with a mighty roar. The city quaked and various windows had shattered. No doubt people from beyond the city heard the beast. The Ark'Sh managed to arrive at Hong Kong. The two giants proceeded to destroy the city as jets scrambled into the air from military bases to enact a bombing run on them.

It was a futile battle and it was the first of many to come. The cities were turned into blazing ruin in less than an hour.

Back at the underwater city, the humanoid leader of the terrifying creatures remained sat in the command center. Its servant, Ourok, stood by its side. lowed himself to his master and spoke.

"We emerge victorious, my lord." The pinkish creature said with a smile.

The humanoid figure was briefly silent, and the room became quiet in anticipation. The only noise was the occasional distant creaking of the tower and the sound of the monitors.

"Hmm. I see, Ourok." Ourok's master replied with a groan while still observing the holographic globe before it.

"What is your next command, my lord?" Ourok then proceeded to gingerly ask.

The lord looked at the earth and pondered for a few seconds before giving its reply to Ourok's question.

"Destroy the place I was reborn at." The humanoid said blankly to Ourok without looking at him, still closely observing the globe.

Ourok's cheerful expression quickly faded away. Everyone in the room became concerned and glanced at their master with curious eyes. They were ordered to never speak of the place where their master was reborn, so it was disquieting to hear the humanoid bring it up themselves.

"Uh, very well. It will be done, sire." Replied Ourok as he turned to speak to the other creatures present, but before he could say anything the humanoid spoke.

"I'd like for the place to be bombarded. Send out the rippers." Commanded Ourok's master.

"Then it will be so, my lord. Our pilots will greatly appreciate you sending them forth to do your bidding." Replied Ourok as he bowed his head.

A hangar with long massive doors somewhere near the edges of the city then opened, releasing rays of light. Quickly, many small ships started to pour out; they were the rippers. They propelled through the water up to the surface with ease and soon they were all in the sky.

At the command center, the globe displayed that the target of the rippers was at the eastern coastline of China. The rippers were marked as they journeyed to the location.

The humanoid being silently observed as the markers got closer to the place of its rebirth. It was going to take immense satisfaction at its destruction, to see the lighthouse that was present to be reduced to ashes. It had been years since it had been there but the humanoid felt no nostalgia for it. It was meaningless like all things for what mattered the most was His Slumbering Majesty.

The rippers soon arrived to their destination. It was a quiet town near the ocean, and it was bombarded with explosions of plasma and streaks of lasers. During the attack, military planes arrived to engage the alien ships in combat were detected but they were quickly dispatched. The rippers flew faster and were more agile in the air. After completing their task, most the ships returned to the underwater city while a few went to assist the others at the cities.

Finally, the coastal invasion concluded as military forces gathered to plan out more elaborate assaults. The government scrambled to contain the incident with lies such as natural disasters, but eventually the truth will spread. That was inevitable.

The humanoid back at the command center sat quietly, watching the markers of the rippers returning after completing their task. Ourok then spoke to them.

"It is finished, my lord." Ourok said softly to is master.

"I see. I will return to my courters. Prepare further assaults." The humanoid replied as it rose from its seat and proceeded to leave the command center. Ourok said nothing and with his fellow monsters he watched his master leave the room.

* * *

Brandon was back home with his Aunt Merilee as his ship instructed him. He still needed to keep up appearances with her.

Merilee was in the living watching television and drinking a glass of wine. She had to counsel a student who had lost a relative in the terrorist attacks at the town, which was actually Brandon's doing.

Brandon sat in his room, trying to come up with an excuse to leave the house so he may go see Caitlyn. He was struggling to come up with something since Merilee worried of something bad happening to him due to what has been happening at the town. It was somewhat frustrating.

_Damn. I am getting myself unintentionally cooped up in here! I could just leave through the window but what if Aunt Merilee checks in my room to find me gone? I can't raise suspicion but it be so much easier to just get rid of her. Although, I do still enjoy having some 'family' that like me being around._

Brandon sighed and looked out of the window from his bed. He then thought that he may have to wait until Aunt Merilee was asleep for him to go out and find Caitlyn. He had been thinking of her mostly.

_I'll see you soon, Caitlyn._ Thought Brandon.

Next, he decided to leave his bedroom and get something to eat. He thought of having just a bowl of cereal. He walked passed the living room. Aunt Merilee turned to look at him and smiled.

"Hey, Brandon. What you're doing?" She politely asked Brandon.

"I'm just getting a bowl of cereal, Aunt Merilee." Brandon replied as he walked into the kitchen.

"Don't pour much cereal, we are low on milk!" Exclaimed Merilee so Brandon could hear her from the living room. Brandon made no response and continued on.

Brandon opened a cabinet above the kitchen counter to reveal several shelves. There was a few bowls and he reached out to grab one until noticing the shelf above. There were various pill containers. Brandon looked at them and saw one that held sleeping pills. A smile formed on Brandon's face for he had developed an idea.

* * *

Caitlyn was back home, trembling in fear in her room. She tried to calm herself down.

_He's out there. What if he shows up here?_ Caitlyn quickly thought. She paced around her room and felt defenseless. There was nothing she could do to assure herself.

Downstairs, her guardians spoke with Agents Carter and Hendrick as usual in the living room.

"We'll have to get going, guys. We'll leave you with a few soldiers to patrol the woods nearby." Said Carter as he looked down at his phone for the time.

"Thank you, Carter." Agent Winters replied with a slight smile. She had a small fondness for Carter.

"You're welcome. Keep an eye on the girl as usual and we'll see you around." Carter continued before looking at partner Hendrick who was eating a bag of potato chips.

"Hendrick, time to go." Carter said to him.

"Alright. About time..." Hendrick responded as he placed a chip in his mouth. He didn't enjoy being around Agent Winters and Freeman, especially Winters.

"Shut up, Hendrick. Happy to see you leave." Winters responded rudely to Hendrick.

"Bitch..." Hendrick mumbled to himself quietly as he walked to the front door to leave the house. Winters face twitched for she heard Hendrick's remark.

"Goodbye." Carter then said to Winters and Freeman before leaving too.

Freeman and Winters gestured in response and could hear their fellow agents start up their car and leave. The two then proceeded as usual while soldiers secretly patrolled the house within the woods as Carter had stated.

Agent Freeman went to the basement to listen on radio chatter while Winters decided to go check on Caitlyn. Winters had noticed that she was bothered by something.

Winters slowly opened the door into Caitlyn's room and peered inside. Caitlyn sat by the window, looking outside at the nearby trees that rustled by the wind. Caitlyn had an expression of relief when seeing Winters, as if expecting someone else.

"Hello, dear! Is everything alright?" Winters said gingerly with a smile to Caitlyn. Winters then went further into the room.

"I'm, uh, fine." Caitlyn replied cautiously before looking away from Winters to stare out of the window again.

Winters approached the bed and sat on it. She continued to look at the silent Caitlyn. Winters sighed before continuing to speak.

"Are you sure, sweetie? You can trust me. It is why I am here. I know things have been hard since..." Winters stopped mid-sentence when Caitlyn looked back her. Winters noticed her eyes were somewhat teary, so she decided it was best not to finish her sentence.

"Yeah, I am here to talk to about anything, Caitlyn. I'll always be here." Winters continued with a sincere smile.

Caitlyn was starting to lose herself and so she began to cry. Winters then got off the bed and approached Caitlyn to give her a hug. Caitlyn remained seated and hugged Winters at her waist. Caitlyn sobbed away as Winters wrapped her arms around the sad girl, brushing her hair. Winters had a somewhat of a surprised face expression since this was the first meaningful interaction she has had with Caitlyn. Finally, Winters made some progress.

Caitlyn continued to cry into Winters and spoke to Winters.

"Would you?" Caitlyn said through her tears.

"What?"

"Would you always be here?"

"Of course..." Winters replied as she looked out of the window as she still held the crying Caitlyn in her hands. She then scanned the room for anything of interest.

Caitlyn needed someone in her life to comfort her. Of course, a piece of her knows it is likely foolish to try to form a relationship with Winters. Brandon could take her away like he did with her mother. Still, it was nice for her to express her sadness to someone.

As Agents Winters looked around the room, she saw a partially covered piece of paper under notebook on Caitlyn's text. It was the paper with the drawing Caitlyn made that night.

Winters then decided to lure Caitlyn out of the room so she could get a closer look at the drawing.

"Let's go the kitchen, dear. You could use a glass of water." Winters said to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn hesitantly rose from her chair and was lead out of the room by Winters. Caitlyn was in the hall heading downstairs but Winters stayed to quickly take the drawing. Winters stuffed down her pocket and proceeded to go downstairs with Caitlyn.

* * *

Brandon's ship lit up in the depths of the woods inside the cave it was in. It rapidly was processing data thoroughly, over and over again, whispering to itself in many quiet alien voices. It had intercepted a broadcast earlier that was not native to Earth, one that was familiar. The ship needed to be sure before anything. The broadcast was transmitted to the two locations in the solar system and if it was proven to be what the ship thought it was, then the mission was in trouble.

After a while, it came to a definitive conclusion. It's assessment was unfortunately correct.

_Transmitting emergency report. Threat to mission detected. Identified hostile presence on planet. Servants of the Slumbering God. Detected through interception of advanced interplanetary broadcasting nonnative to targeted world. Immediate actions necessary. Awaiting further instructions._

Once the ship stopped broadcasting its message back home, the lights on it died down. All it did was analyze all contingency plans it was programmed with in case if it received no response. The invasion of the planet will most definitely need to happen faster than planned.

The ship then calculated on whether to have Brandon perform reconnaissance, though it wasn't sure if he be ready to face the worshipping horrors of the Slumbering God. If its databanks were accurate, they are formidable and sometimes unpredictable. The risk of losing Brandon was likely.

It continued to ponder and concluded that it needed to know more of the enemy. First, it must patiently wait for a response from home.

* * *

Aunt Merilee was passed out on the couch. Brandon stood in front of the couch and looked over her resting body, tilting his head to the right. The TV still played behind him.

_It worked._ Thought Brandon. He managed to slip in sleeping pills into Aunt Merilee's wine and in twenty minutes she was asleep.

_I should get going._ Brandon concluded before walking away to his room to get his mask. He wasn't going to wear but he was going to bring it just in case. Admittedly, it would scare Caitlyn even though he personally didn't find anything wrong with the mask. The only time anyone displayed fright at his mask was Brandon's Uncle Noah when he attempted to kill his aunt. No one since has had a good look at his mask.

Brandon then exited through the front of the house and flew up into the sky. The wind blew his hair back and it ruffled as he soared through the sky.

_I'll find you, Caitlyn._

* * *

Ed and other high-ranking individuals sat within a large room around a long table. A monitor was embedded into the wall down from the table that was attached to a camera. Everyone within the organization was becoming aware of the attacks, and the Director wanted to speak to everyone in the United States and Canadian branches.

Ed tweedled his thumbs until the meeting started. When it began, the room darkened and the monitor lit up to display the symbol of the Director. The symbol was a circle with a dot in the middle. It was encased inside an incomplete triangle.

Everyone sat up in attention and looked directly at the screen. Ed swallowed nervously for usually a meeting like this is for emergencies.

"Hello, ladies and gentleman." A feminine voice emanated out of the speakers on the monitor which belonged to the Director.

"Hello, to you too, miss." Someone near the monitor said in response on behalf of the room.

"Thank you, Richard. So... Let's get to the point of this meeting." Continued the Director. Everyone was completely quiet to hear her speak.

"After close analysis of the evidence, I must inform you all of a coming invasion of extraterrestrial origin, and they aren't coming from space. They are already here, within the oceans of our world. No doubt some of you have heard this from our spies over seas about a few recent attacks. Ladies and gentleman, today in this room you will be revealed classified information so we may prepare ourselves to defend what we can when the time comes. I have spoken with other branches but it is now all of your turn to be enlightened. It is time our organization performs at its fullest potential."

Ed gotten goosebumps from that last part. Others felt perturbed or even eager to hear what the Director was going to reveal to them.

"My assistant, Hemsworth, will hand you guys folders. Remember their contents." The Director said as her assistant emerged from the shadows of the room with a stack of folders under his arm. He was tall and physically well built with short black hair combed back. He wore a pair of shades and black leather gloves. His face was emotionless. He handed out the folders to everyone at the table without hesitation.

When Ed received his folder, he opened it and saw various documents and pictures detailing an ancient civilization forgotten by time. It had images of beached corpses of beings that couldn't be from Earth, hideous creatures straight from a nightmare. In this line of work, Ed had became somewhat desensitized for he had long understood that the universe was an absurdly cruel place with many secrets. What Ed would give for a cosmic secret that was beautiful instead of horrifying.

Then, while Ed skimmed through the documents, he noticed an attached file of something called Project Phoenix. It was a cybernetic research project but most details of it were redacted. The Director continued to speak.

"Attach to the other documents is the full nature of Project Phoenix. In the coming weeks, we will unveil the next step of human evolution. So much progress had been made over the years. I think some of you may like it."

If the Director was in the room, everyone would see that she had a smile on her face.


	10. Big T Goes On A Podcast

**Author Note**: This chapter is a repost. I originally had deleted it because maybe it felt like it disturbed the flow of the story even though it is intended to foreshadow a couple of concepts in later chapters. I also had written in a short time and felt off about it. Almost like this chapter is filler despite my intentions. Then it dawned on me that maybe I deleted it without giving it much thought, and I may confuse people. I do apologize. I am reposting it for those that did enjoy it. If you already read this, please ignore it. I will have a new chapter soon carrying off where we were. Again, sorry for the inconvenience of this repost. It won't happen again.

* * *

**A week prior to the Chinese coastal city attacks.**

"Good evening today, folks. Welcome to the Intoxicated Skeptics Podcast live! I'm Kirk."

"And I'm Leonard!"

The two hosts sat around a table with cameras pointed at them and a microphone near their faces at a set within a garage. On the table was a laptop and bottles of beer. In addition, there were two speakers connected to the laptop.

On the screen of the computer was the video feed from the cameras and a live chatroom that was heavily active. Viewers were excited for the stream.

"As all of you know, we have a special guest for today's stream, the Big T. Uh, he isn't with us right now due to technical difficulties but- Wait, I think are connected to him." Said Kirk as he looked at the computer to make sure they were connected to Big T. The screen had an icon stating they were connected and displayed Big T typing through his webcam. Kirk then had the Big T's video feed up for the stream so viewers could see him.

"Hey, you hear me, Big T?" Asked Kirk. Meanwhile Leonard took a drink of beer.

"Yeah, I hear you." Replied Big T as he adjusted a headset he was wearing.

"Excellent!" Kirk said back. Kirk did some final adjustment to where the Big T's webcam video was for the stream.

"Anyway, so guys we present the Big T of Truth Bomb Productions! Good to have you here." Kirk continued with a smirk.

"Thanks for inviting me to the podcast." Big T replied as he reached out to pick up a coffee mug off camera to take a sip from. It was filled with a protein shake he's been trying out lately.

"For those that don't know Big T, he produces conspiracy theory videos." Leonard said to the audience.

"I liked to be called more of a crusader of truth." Added Big T as he took another drink.

"Oh, you do? Interesting. How have you been as of late?" Leonard proceeded to say to Big T.

"Fine." Big T simply responded. Kirk then spoke.

"So we are here to have a bit of a debate on various topics. For our viewers who don't know, Big T recently did a video on the incidents at Brightburn, Kansas. That will be our first topic."

"Can you tell us about that, T?" Leonard asked.

"Sure. I and several other people have refused to believe the media about what has been happening there. Videos online from people in the state show that the government is covering up something!"

"Like what?" Said Kirk as he took a drink along with Leonard.

"Not sure but maybe something supernatural. Here's a photo I printed out from online of what looks like a person in the sky. It's definitely some of the scariest shit I've ever seen." Said Big T. He proceeded to grab a blurry photo that had Brandon in the sky but he was too far from the camera to be distinguished. Kirk and Leonard squinted as Big T placed the photo up to his webcam for the hosts and audience to see.

"You can see legs so it is humanoid." Big T continued to explain as he placed the photo away off-camera.

"So you are saying a flying person is responsible for the tragedies at Brightburn?" Kirk said in a condescending tone though he tried to be subtle.

"Yes. It is most likely since why does the media and officials try to discredit these images? There is something they don't want us to know about." Replied Big T.

"Ever thought it was because they don't want misinformation to spread out of respect for those that died? The images could be faked for all we know." Replied Kirk.

"I don't think so." Big T responded. He was starting to slowly grow agitated.

"There needs to be more concrete evidence. Like, how can a person fly in the air? What's the science behind that? How the hell does that work?" Leonard objected.

"I can think of ton of reasons. The first I can think of is that whatever Brightburn is, what most are calling it, is maybe an evil native American spirit. Like a wendigo literally high on helium!" Big T passionately responded.

Kirk and Leonard held back laughter for Big T was already not making much sense. The Big T thought nothing of their reaction, assuming they found his remark at the end about a wendigo on helium to be funny, which he intended it to be.

"The second explanation," Continued Big T "could be the literal anti-Christ. We all know the occult is something government officials take part in. Fuck, have you seen the footage where there are flies in the room during political conferences? Definitely that of Beelzebub!"

"Wait, wait..." Kirk managed to say before laughing at the absurdity Big T said. Leonard had a large grin on his face and slowly shook his head. Leonard then spoke on behalf of his cohost.

"That is really pushing it, you know? I would more likely believe in the previous explanation. Add an Indian burial ground to complete the cliché and it's complete!"

"Ahh, man. Yeah, that is just nonsense. Both require concrete proof to make them valid possible explanations. I used to live in a cabin in the woods and never saw no damn wendigo. Also, they say even fucking celebrities practice the occult. How come it is the same type of occult symbolism? Why not something obscure and pagan? Why fail so badly to cover their tracks?" Kirk said when he stopped laughing

"You just have to look closely at the evidence..." Big T responded to Kirk as he took drink.

"Yeah, it isn't very convincing no matter how close or how far I look at it. It verges on me having to be insane to make the huge leap into a rabbit hole of bullshit."

The chat was expressing their enjoyment of the podcast so far through abbreviations and laughing emojis. A few comments made summed up what everyone in the audience was thinking.

_lol. What the hell is Big T smoking?_ Wrote a user named 4204life.

_Is this guy for real?_ Wrote another named BigxBone360xxx.

Big T then replied to Kirk's remarks.

"You just have to be more open to the truth. Also, there are plenty of other possible explanations about what is happening."

"Well, I think it is too soon to make any claims of what has been happening at Brightburn and you should be more open to the possibility it is likely nothing. There could actually be no conspiracy about the place involving voodoo or aliens or whatever the hell." Kirk said back to Big T.

"It's best to play things safe!" Exclaimed the Big T.

"Oh really?" Responded Kirk before looking at Leonard and gesturing at him. Leonard nodded his head and proceeded to go grab a box under the table. Leonard rummaged through the box and took out two aluminum foil hats. Leonard handed one to his cohost before putting it on his own head. The two hosts then began to snicker.

The Big T frowned and briefly said nothing before talking.

"Real funny..." The Big T replied with a hint of frustration in his voice. He tapped the fingers of his left hand on the table off-camera. The hosts were testing his patience for a more civil discussion.

"The next topic is your video about how to know if one is a clone. I found that video to be the most interesting." Said Leonard to Big T.

"Why?" Big T asked.

"I think it is interesting due to how you propose penis size as a way for one to know if they are a clone." Leonard said before bursting out into laughter.

"What I found fascinating was that you actually considered yourself to be a clone. It is an interesting existential crisis but one so not based on reality." Kirk added.

"Cloning is a thing! It is done with animals so why not people?" Big T replied furiously. He was already loosing his cool.

"I am not denying cloning but we need proof it is done with humans. Videos of celebrities doing a weird thing isn't evidence." Kirk replied seriously to Big T while Leonard giggled. The audience quickly typed their amusement at the stream so far.

"It's all too useful for the powers that be **_not_** to use."

"In your video, you pretty much imply the government made random people clones, a large chunk of the population. Pretty much everybody! No reasons why or anything was given by you. As mentioned, you actually entertained the idea you could be a clone because you didn't remember where you put your car keys and butter knife. Isn't it obvious you are experiencing paranoia?" Kirk said with sincerity before taking another drink.

The Big T was silent. He was becoming furious and he breathed heavily.

"Let's go to the next subject." Finally responded the Big T.

"Okay. The next is your stuff about aliens. I believe in alien life existing in the universe but you really make the idea sound stupid."

"In what way!" Exclaimed the Big T with his arms now crossed.

"You think aliens are on the Moon which is apparently hollowed, that they are in the governments to inflate the economy so it collapses, and that they are at the bottom of the ocean to mine and fish for exotic markets in faraway worlds. You come up with science-fiction level shit that is just unfounded in reality." Kirk refuted.

"If aliens are capable of interstellar travel, they could do those things, Kirk!" Big T replied.

"Yeah but why collapse the economy? Why would anyone give a shit about a planet's currency when they could just blow us up if they wanted to. Also, we haven't had any problems so the aliens are doing a bad job if they are doing that. The Moon being hollow has so many flaws to it that I am not even going to bother tackling it. The last thing you claimed of aliens at the ocean is pure assumptions." Continued Kirk.

"USOs, short for unidentified submerged objects, are a thing and-" Big T tried to quickly argue before Leonard shimmed in.

"Emphasis on unidentified. It doesn't automatically mean aliens and doesn't support your intergalactic trade conspiracy."

"But there is tons of unexplained things about the ocean. From Bermuda Triangle to the fucking Bloop!" Big T loudly declared as he balled up his hands into fists. Kirk then spoke.

"Nothing concretely connects those things in anyway, bud. It takes a lot of mental gymnastics that only you can pull to make something like that logical. Also, both have their own lengthy mundane explanations that don't include something otherworldly. Sometimes the answer to something is usually the simplest."

Before he could speak, Leonard then took out an air horn and used it, startling Big T who visibly jumped in his seat wildly. Big T's headset almost fell of his head. The audience were entertained, ignoring the fact someone was spamming the chat with offensive imagery. Kirk and Leonard snickered to each other as they observed the Big T recollect himself.

"You alright?" Asked Leonard with a large grin.

"You know what?! I'm out." Big T said angrily.

"What?" Kirk then asked.

"Fuck you guys. You clearly are government plants trying to discredit me. Fuck you!" Big T declared as he furiously removed his head set and attempted to leave the stream.

"Very well. That was our guest, the Big T, folks!"

"Yeah, remember that name, you fucking bastards!" Yelled Big T as he squinted at his computer, trying to figure out how to leave.

"Ah fuck it." Big T said before flipping off the two amused hosts and unplugging his computer. The hosts chuckled to each other and the chat reacted with glee.

_KEK! Big T raged quit!_ A user named hitlerdonger69 typed into the chat.

_Knew this would happen. _Typed another named badmutafakz345.

"That went better than our last guest, Leonard." Said Kirk with a smile to Leonard. He was still processing Big T's empty accusation.

"Yeah. Should we just watch his videos and continue to rip into them for the bullshit they are?" Leonard replied to his cohost.

"If the audience wants it. Type in the chat, folks!" Kirk said into the camera to the audience.

* * *

**A day after the attack of the coastal cities of China.**

Big T looked at blurred images and videos of military activity concerning the South China Sea. Rumors have sprung that evacuation of port cities near that large body of water were due to something much more than just a tsunami or earthquake. Big T quickly speculated and messaged a few of his personal buddies to chat about the matter. After an hour, Big T came to a conclusion of what was happening, and he went onto his social media through his phone.

The Big T typed away and submitted his post. It was short and tagged the two hosts of the Intoxicated Skeptics podcast.

"I was right, you fuckers! #aliensattheocean" Read the post. He then added a picture of himself flipping off the camera while drinking a cup of coffee with a smug expression on his face. Big T's followers quickly flocked to share and like his post.


	11. The Things We Miss

Brandon observed Caitlyn's new home from a distance. He hid among the leaves of the surrounding trees, floating while closely observing soldiers on patrol down at the ground.

_Why are all of you around Caitlyn's house?_ Wondered Brandon. It was unusual since he couldn't think of why they would be there.

Nonetheless, Brandon intended on seeing Caitlyn. He planned to wait until it got dark so he can entered the house with a lower chance of being spotted. He could kill the soldiers but he didn't want violence near Caitlyn. If she were to be hurt, it would be very upsetting for him.

Anyway, Brandon waited in the trees so he may creep through Caitlyn's window at the right time.

Meanwhile, Agent Winters travelled to the basement of the house to find Freeman sat down near a desk listening to military chatter on the radio while cleaning his assault rifle. A couple of monitors present displayed the feed of cameras outside. Freeman paid no attention as Winters' travelled down the steps.

"Hey, Freeman, got something interesting here." Winters said to her uninterested partner as she dug into her pockets to show Freeman the drawing made by Caitlyn. Freeman didn't hear Winters.

"Hey, jackass, pay attention!" Winters said as she got close and flicked Freeman's nose. Freeman was not startled but he turned his head to look at Winters.

"What is it?" Freeman said in a bored tone. Winters then showed the drawing to him which he closely looked at.

"What am I looking at?" He proceeded to ask Winters.

"The girl drew it. Found it in her room and it's unusual. Run it by anything to see for matches." Replied Winters as Freeman took the paper from his partner. He continued to look at the crude sketch, pondering on what was being depicted.

"I'll check it." Freeman said as he placed the drawing down on the desk to resume cleaning his weapon.

"Wonder when she made that. I guess we may need to keep a closer eye on her." Commented Winters before getting ready to leave Freeman to his lonesome in the basement.

"Could have a camera installed upstairs." Freeman said while continuing to clean his gun. Winters then shot Freeman a look of disgust.

"She's a kid, creep." Winters replied with her arms crossed.

"Who said I would watch the camera feed? I have enough to look at." Freeman dismissed. Winters then returned upstairs to check on Caitlyn.

* * *

Carter and Hendrick were inside their car, parked under the shade of a tree. They were alone outside of Brandon's house, sending the soldiers that accompanied them to be near Agent Winters and Freeman's location. They hadn't had much time to deal with him. They routinely checked the audio recorded by the microphones they placed inside the house but nothing of special interest was picked up.

"Maybe there is nothing to this kid." Commented Hendrick as he slouched in the passenger seat and loudly sighed.

"You never know, Hendrick." Replied Carter as he looked at Brandon's house. The two were silent for several minutes before Carter spoke.

"Maybe we need a closer look."

"Breaking in? They are home!" Hendrick quickly responded.

"They likely aren't. Let's snoop around for anything. I have a... feeling about this kid. Maybe the aunt is not home and the kid is off with friends." Said Carter.

"I don't man." Hendrick loudly groaned.

"I think we have a sleep dart if we need. Come on." Ordered Carter as he exited from the car and slowly approached the house. Hendrick sighed and got out of the car to go to the trunk to get the dart gun.

Carter approached the window and gently peeked through to see anyone. He caught of glimpse of Aunt Merilee sleeping on the couch with the TV on. He then turned to see if Hendrick was catching up with the dart gun and he was. Hendrick was already inserting the darts while walking toward the house. Carter gestured to him to come faster and they began to circle the house.

They met at the backyard and Hendrick admired the swimming pool that was present. Carter proceeded to the sliding door that lead inside the house, and slowly stepped inside while Hendrick followed behind with the dart gun ready.

"This is stupid." Whispered Hendrick but Carter ignored him.

They stepped further into the house and passed the living room where Merilee slept. Carter gestured to Hendrick to observe while he continued to explore the house. He eventually stumbled upon the door into Brandon's bedroom, and Carter slowly opened it with caution.

Carter then peered inside to see there was no one present.

_The kid is gone. Good. Maybe he is at a friend's house._

Carter then opened the door completely, and it creaked. He gazed around Brandon's room as he stepped inside it. The window was partially opened a light breeze blew through, moving the curtains.

Next, Carter proceeded to inspect the room for anything interesting. He looked under Brandon's bed, the closet, and the desk. Carter didn't want to tear the place apart. After a while, Carter found nothing of interest and thought to himself.

_Maybe there's nothing._

Before Carter decided to leave he then looked under the mattress just in case. Under there he did find something interesting. He discovered Brandon's stash of images that had organs and anatomy charts. In addition, he found pictures of woman ripped out from magazines.

_Serial killer in the making._ Thought Carter for he seen similar stashes in the past. Nonetheless, it wasn't anything significant to him for it didn't involve something more unusual.

Carter finally then left Brandon's room to return to Hendrick. The two agents quietly leave the house as if they were never there. For Brandon, it was fortunate Carter didn't look under the dresser for it was where he kept his notebook that contained his various drawings of his heinous acts.

As the two agents returned to their car, Hendrick spoke as he walked to the trunk to return the dart gun.

"Anything?" Hendrick asked Carter.

"No. Nothing important other than the kid likely having disturbing psychological issues."

"What makes you say that?"

"Code Dahmer." Carter replied. Hendrick quickly understood what his partner meant.

"Oh, I see. Pictures? Anyway, let's get the hell out of here."

The two agents eventually got inside their car and drove away.

* * *

Brandon gazed up at the sky as he floated high up among the clouds above Caitlyn's home. It was dark enough for one to see several stars twinkle. It had also gotten windy.

_Now is perfect. _Thought Brandon. He then descended from the sky down to the surrounding forest below. Soldiers still wandered about, guarding the house.

Caitlyn was within her room. Her door was partially opened, and she sat on her bed using her computer.

With ease, Brandon flew the leaves of the tress, passing the soldiers down below. They thought nothing of the rustling branches except the wind simply passing through them.

As Brandon got closer, Caitlyn's computer screen flickered with static before turning off. She became filled with fright for she instantly knew what it meant. She then looked up to find Brandon inside her room, standing near the door with a blank expression. Brandon then placed his finger from his left hand to his lips, indicating to Caitlyn to be quiet while he closed and locked the door. Even if she wanted to, Caitlyn was too scared to make a sound. She closely observed Brandon with wide, trembling eyes.

"Hello." Brandon whispered. Caitlyn said nothing and continued to stare. She could never get used to Brandon's sudden appearances.

Brandon took a gentle step closer to Caitlyn but stopped for he heard the alien voices of his ship inside his mind. Brandon froze in place.

_Come..._ The ship whispered to Brandon.

Caitlyn watched Brandon closely as he stepped back and looked down to his feet. Brandon then looked up to Caitlyn. He just got there and now he had to go so soon.

_Not fair._ _Oh well. I have all the time in the world._ Brandon thought.

"Goodbye." Brandon quietly said before he disappeared as soon as Caitlyn blinked. The curtains in Caitlyn's room moved in the air to indicate Brandon passing them.

Caitlyn then continued to sit on her bed with fear and confusion. She then soon felt relieved.

_What was that?_ Wondered Caitlyn. It was unusual but to be frank Brandon wasn't normal.

* * *

Home responded as soon as they received the emergency message. The ship was greatly pleased to have its new instructions which follows.

_OPERATE UNDER PROCEDURE 845. ACTIVATE ONBOARD ASSETS. TEMPORARILY IGNORE COVERT DIRECTIVE OF SPECIES PROPOGATION THROUGH INFLITRATION WITH ASSIGNED YOUNGLING AND OFFSPRING. RECONAISSANCE PERMITTED. CONTACT WITH OTHER TRANSPORTATION PODS PERMITTED AND RECEIVING SAME TRANSMISSION.__ CONTACT PODS ONLY WHEN THREAT ESCALATES. SEIZE THE WORLD BEFORE ENEMY._

The ship reviewed Procedure 845 thoroughly along with the message from home. It then called Brandon to it for he would need to look into the threat. It pinpointed the area of the planet the Servants of the Slumbering God were at when they broadcasted to space, which was also something that would need to be addressed.

It lit up in its hiding place in the woods as it patiently waited for Brandon to arrive, and soon he was quickly there with it.

Brandon stood in front of the ship with his mask clutched in his right hand, believing he will be using it. The ship then started to flood Brandon's mind unexpectedly with instructions. This made Brandon's eyes roll back and him kneeling down. It told Brandon to go to the city of Xiamen which was already ravaged.

The ship showed Brandon images of great beasts that roamed blazing extraterrestrial cities with grand ships in the sky whose engines roared. Brandon then saw the Earth and could see three claws emerge from behind the planet, grasping at it with a tight squeeze, crumbling Earth into small pieces.

The ship then released Brandon from the bombardment of information for he knew enough.

_Go..._ The ship whispered into Brandon's mind. Brandon then looked up at the ship and nodded his head before putting on his mask and leaving. Brandon didn't know everything but knew he had to do something important for the sake of his mission.

* * *

The underwater city of the South China Sea rumbled. Plenty of creatures that inhabited it already began their march to other locations under the close command of Ourok on behalf of their master. Speaking of which, the humanoid leader walked into its throne room, and presently standing near the throne was a short, hunched reptilian creature wearing a cloak. It then turned its head around to see the humanoid's approach.

"Ah, good day, Lord Erin! You've been... dandy, no? How amazing it is to begin conquest all over again! It's been so long but fortunately for His Eternal Majesty time is irrelevant..." Said the creature with a large, toothy grin.

"Roremp… What brings you here?" The humanoid replied with slight annoyance to the short being.

"To speak, of course."

Roremp had four thin long arms that ended in spindly hands with only four slender fingers. He kept his arms closely tucked into himself. Roremp's cloak was tattered and riddled with various holes. His legs were obscured by the aforementioned cloak, but from the way he moved one would think he had none. He moved as if he was simply gliding. Next, Roremp had six red eyes that rarely blinked. Overall, his body looked frail and pathetic compared to many of his brethren, though he was respected for everyone knew better.

"Then speak." Replied Erin to Roremp as he walked passed him to sit on the throne.

"Very well... I have finished repairing your old set of armor from before your... calamity. It is down in the armory among the other artifacts. It is as if no damage ever occurred to it." Roremp said with pride.

"Is that all you came to tell me?" Erin proceeded to ask in an uninterested tone.

"There is more, my lord. Me and my congregation would like to have some humans for spiritual experiments." Said Roremp as he touched his hands together and smiled. There was a brief silence between the two creatures.

"Elaborate." Erin replied quickly.

"Our sacred arts have been unused for a while. The last time was when we helped restore the lower levels of central core. All we been doing is caring for the Queen, which is an honor but doesn't require more advance... techniques. Our Lord Slumbering Beyond would want us to practice what He taught in the first age."

Erin stared at the smiling creature. He was feeling more annoyed.

"Go ahead, then." Erin said with a wave of one of his slender hands.

"Thank you, my lord. May the invasion go smoothly!" Declared the short creature as it turned and walked away.

Erin quietly watched Roremp walk away while he hummed a tune toward the exit. As soon as Roremp disappeared out of sight, the humanoid slouched in its throne.

Meanwhile, Brandon was soon at one of the burning port cities of China. The giant beasts that plagued a few of those locations retreated into the sea to assist against the military forces of other countries. Many creatures lurked out of sight, feasting upon the corpses of fallen soldiers. Some simply wandered about for any victims.

Brandon gently landed on the roof of an apartment building, closely observing the destruction left behind. Although, when he arrived, many of the creatures raised their heads and sniffed or tasted the air. They sensed something familiar, something they haven't encountered in a long time. They weren't sure what it was but it caught their interest. They were still hungry.


	12. Old and New Enemies

**Author Note: **Hello, dear readers. I like to apologize for how long this chapter took. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy!

* * *

The ruined city was oddly silent except for the noise of unrestrained flames that burned away within the vicinity. It became more eerie when the sky darkened by an approaching storm, and the fresh plumes of ashes. Down at the city streets, Brandon hovered about with his feet inches away from the ground, observing his new surroundings. He had never set foot outside of America before but he read plenty about the world. He can easily make his way around anywhere, especially with his abilities.

Brandon was admittedly curious about the damage done to the city. He wondered where did everyone went, and most importantly what was responsible for it all. His ship had informed him that the threat present in the city has many forms and to be cautious. There was no telling what awaited Brandon.

Meanwhile, the creatures that brought doom to the city moved about quietly, tracking the scent of Brandon. The familiarity soon irked them than expected for they couldn't quite pinpoint what was familiar about it. All they knew was that it was something they haven't tasted for a long time. It was kind of nostalgic.

At the docks, a commander of the creatures was present, overseeing materials on land being taken into the ocean. It was called a Ganshu which comprised mostly of the commanding ranks of the sea monsters. They were a cephalopod-crustacean mix subspecies with an overall appearance of a brain with a small torso attached. They had eight, long tentacles located beneath their bodies that ended in dark, sharp, bony tips. Out of water, these tentacles would be tucked together, looking like a tail that would slither behind it. At their sides, they had four short, crab-like legs for walking on surfaces. They possessed frail looking arms with only four fingers. They even had a smaller set of arms on their chests that were tucked into them, similarly to a praying mantis. These limbs had only two fingers, no thumbs. Their faces were somewhat small and had a scowl. They were the most wise and so they were made to command others.

The Ganshu commander watched as a large chunk of a tank was being dragged into the sea before its body produced a shiver. In response it grunted and looked away from the direction of the sea, toward the city. It could telepathically sense the curiosity of its fellow brethren over a scent. Like them, it too wondered. Inside the minds of its subordinates, it ordered the creatures to only investigate, not attack. Most were reluctant since what if it were something delicious? Nonetheless, the beings complied with the order.

The commander then sent out a telepathic message to its brothers back at the sunken city. Ourok was soon notified of the disturbance occurring on land by a Ganshu that approached him in the command center. Ourok was seated down when he received the news.

"Elite Commander Ourok, there appears to be a slight, insignificant problem on land."

Ourok turned his pink head and looked confused.

"Insignificant? Why bother reporting it?"

"It is in regard to a scent."

"A scent?" Ourok replied with a raised brow and with more confusion.

"Yes. One too familiar but we don't know what." The Ganshu replied, placing its hands together and slightly bowing.

"Hm. Now I am... curious. Give me updates on that. It likely is nothing but I do like to be informed for our majesty."

"Yes, sire..." The Ganshu said before leaving Ourok alone to oversee the invasion of other places near the South China Sea.

Brandon travelled down a street where he found the half-eaten bodies of soldiers littering the pavement near a military truck, which was burning away. Brandon eyed the corpses briefly. He analyzed the damage done to the corpses. Whatever did it was like an animal.

_I'll kill it easily._ Brandon thought. He was a more sophisticated being than any mere animal.

Brandon then continued to move down the street, but he didn't notice that the creature responsible for the bodies was nearby and observed Brandon intently from a distance from inside a building through a window. It moved on all fours and had a translucent body with a red hue. It snarled to itself for it wasn't sure to believe what it was seeing.

It made a thought that quickly was received by the Ganshu commander that was linked to it. The Ganshu commander then froze in place, processing what the red creature was seeing.

_No. That can't be._

The commander pondered for a few seconds while the crustacean warriors surrounded Brandon's location, along with other creature types. The Ganshu then decided to lift the order not to attack. It had to reveal its discovery to the others back at command.

The red creature then formed what could be interpreted as a smile on its long face when it received permission to attack Brandon. It was delighted for it thought it was about time. The scent of Brandon was likely going to make it start drooling.

The red creature then suddenly leaped out of the window with immense force from its legs, heading straight for Brandon through the air. Its maw was wide and it tilted its headed horizontally to bite Brandon's head clean off from his neck.

Brandon sensed the creature's rapid approach, slighting turning his head back to see his foe, but he was in time to be mere inches away. He could see only the rows of long sharp teeth of its wide opened mouth. Brandon quickly attempted to dodge the attack, but a part of his head was still in range of its bite. Brandon then moved his arms up as quickly as he could to block. Before Brandon could think on what to do next, the beast's jaw already snapped shut once he was in its reach. Brandon's hands were caught within its toothy grasp, a part of the top of his head between them which he slid out before the monster tightened its bite to pierce the hold of his hands.

Brandon fell to the ground hard on his back while the creature continued on its projectile path through the air further down the street. It skidded upon landing on all fours while forcing its body to face toward the direction of Brandon before it came to a complete stop. It snarled as Brandon quickly rose up from the ground and regained his composure to prepare for battle. The top of his head along with his hands felt wet from the saliva of the red beast. Under Brandon's mask his face formed into a scowl as he gazed upon the strange monster ahead. It took a stance as well as if it were expecting Brandon to make a move.

_Disgusting creature._ Brandon thought as he clenched his fist. He was about to use his heat vision upon the creature but stopped when he heard noise from behind him. He slightly turned his head to see other creatures arriving, slowly keeping distance behind cover as they slowly flooded in to the street from buildings and around corners. Some winged scorpion-looking ones crawled along the roofs as well. Brandon darted his eyes back onto the red creature and saw behind it more beings arriving as well from that end. It appeared he was surrounded.

The red one formed its uniquely wide smile as two crustacean humanoids came up behind it that had organic cannons for both their forearms. The red creature then started to produce a chuckle before it slowly progressed into full-on laughter. As it laughed, the monster started to stand upward, its body contorting. Brandon watched on as it took a more humanoid stance that allowed it to tower over Brandon at around three meters. It then brandished its claws that extended out.

Brandon stared at the red monster as it slowly ceased its laughter. There was a tense silence that lasted for a few seconds until the beast opened its mouth as wide as it could to release a blood-curdling scream. This lead to all the other monsters present to attack Brandon. Brandon's eyes quickly glowed an intensely bright red as balls of hot plasma, claws, and teeth of the horde came at him.

* * *

"As you could see ladies and gentleman, we have been developing wonders. Behold, our vision for the future of mankind!"

The Director spoke from a speaker system and watched her subordinates through various cameras as they marveled at technology they never knew even existed. Before them were two rows of deactivated machines, and experimental weaponry behind a long wall of thick glass. Ed observed alongside the group as they walked down a hall, still aweing at the machines. They were large and geometric in appearance with tank treads. Parts of their surface had a honey-comb grid pattern that was reflective at the top of the machines, while the rest had a smooth, sterile appearance. Nearby were engineers and researchers that were assembling another one of them. Forklifts, cranes, and large carts held the weapons that were to be placed among the complex internal workings.

Next, the Director's assistant, Hemsworth, gestured to the group to follow him down a wide corridor away from the war machines. The group complied and they passed other interesting research conducted behind observation windows as they walked about. One room were testing handheld laser-based weapons while another experimented with force fields. It was marvelous and there was much more.

"Now to another of our main projects." The Director stated as Hemsworth guided the group to a large metal door that had two guards. A hand scan was required to open the door and so Hemsworth placed his hand. Behind the door was to a separate wing of the facility.

"Here is where Project Phoenix happens." The Director said with a hint of pride in her voice. When they proceeded to enter the wing they were met by a tired researcher who waited for their arrival in a hallway.

"Welcome sirs and, uh, madams." The researcher managed to say before the Director introduced him first.

"This is Dr. Joseph Ludlow. He's the second to be appointed head of Project Phoenix research. He worked on some of things you saw previously before his current position."

"Um, yes, that's correct. Welcome." Dr. Ludlow responded. He then gestured toward the group to follow him down the hall.

"I'm excited to show you all what we been working on." Stated Dr. Ludlow with a faint smile.

He guided them to a room, but on the way they passed by sealed doors with placards beside them stating what was done behind them. One read "Cloning" while another read "Cybernetics" with many more.

Finally, they arrived to their destination which was a massive room filled with various equipment and monitors. Other researchers were present in the room working as usual. In the middle of the room was the main attraction. A machine resembling a man sat in a chair connected to various cables. Above was a mechanical contraption with arms that ended in various tools. Next to the chair, there was a metal wheeled table that had what looked to be a human brain in a glass mechanical dome. The brain had a circular red blinking device attached to the frontal lobe. The dome was connected to a small rectangular device.

The directors marveled at the machine. Dr. Ludlow proceeded to explain to them what they were witnessing.

"Here is one of our specimens having a final assembly. We'll be placing that preserved brain that you see on table there onto the mechanical body. The brain serves as a quick processer for multiple microchips it is connected to on the cerebellum, which sadly isn't viewable at this stage. Also, you may notice that red light attached to the front of the brain. At installation, it completely removes whatever personality the original owner of the brain may be left inside. Think of it like a... lobotomy, except no one was hurt. The brains we receive come from preserved cadavers donated to us. We are capable of also growing brains in our labs, but we find the chance to repurpose the fallen too good to pass. Overall, we do both to benefit humanity. An intact brain is a terrible thing to waste. Anyway, with the brain placed within the body, we give a machine the ability to think on the level of a human though in a limited fashion. They only follow orders given to them."

Two members of staff approach the brain on the table to gently place it into the body. Dr. Ludlow and the group observed the two staff as they carried the brain over to the seated machine. After connecting some cords, the two staff members placed the dome on the base of what would be the neck. They twist the dome firmly into place before small clamps attached themselves to it to finally secure it. Then, the dome became encased by what would be the head that was retracted the whole time. Once closed the machine looked like a neckless, bulky human in heavy reinforced armor made entirely of metal with a dome-like head. A thin blue visor served as its eyes which became brighter to show it was functional. A nearby researcher at a computer gives a thumbs up to Dr. Ludlow, and the two personnel that attached the brain.

The machine began to activate, prompting the automatic disconnection of the cables attached to it. It slowly began to stand as all of its systems booted up. It stood fully erect, scanning its surrounding. It was fully activated and ready for use. A staff member approached it to have it follow them to another area of the facility for weapons preparation. It walked with heavy thuds as it existed the room through a set of doors nearby.

Dr. Ludlow continued to speak to the group.

"You know, that isn't even our most advanced asset created under Project Phoenix. We've created more half-man, half-machines." Informed Dr. Ludlow before he gestured to another researcher, who responded by nodding their head. They then proceeded to leave the room to bring the next part of Project Phoenix to showcase.

"As we wait, I'll tell you a bit more about the brain bots. Also, yes, we colloquially call them that. Anyway, even though they exist we still have completely humanoid machines. AI research has advanced enough for self-autonomous robots, and that grants us the ability to mass produce soldiers with ease. So the brain bots aren't a replacement. What we have comes from us trying to see how far can we preserve a part of a person for continual use. The two will work closely with each other in the field." Added Dr. Ludlow.

Then, a muscular man entered the room dressed in a military uniform with black gloves and wearing a cap. Dr. Ludlow turned to see his arrival and introduced him to the group.

"This is Sergeant Joseph Phillips. He is one of our volunteers for the project. Joseph, may you show them please?"

The soldier took off his right glove to reveal a mechanical hand before rolling up the sleeve to reveal the whole right arm is robotic too. Next, he rolled up a bit of his pants to show even his legs were replaced.

Ed and the others were fascinated, muttering to each other as Hemsworth stood silently. The soldier rolled everything back, and wore the right glove.

"What you ladies and gentlemen see are not the full extent of Joseph's cybernetics. He has a replaced heart, kidney, and various implants on his nervous system. Thank you, Joseph. You are excused." Said Dr. Ludlow. Joseph proceeded to leave the room silently.

"There's also more. Um, Hemsworth, care to show them?" Continued Dr. Ludlow to a straight face Hemsworth. The large intimidating man glanced upon Ed and the other officials before raising his left arm up, and rolling the sleeve of his suit up to his elbow. His hand was first to begin opening apart along with the rest of the forearm. The skin turned into a metallic color as it seemed to morph into a gel-like substance that revealed a metal arm underneath it. The 'skin' formed itself as small tendrils that stuck out near the elbow. The mechanical arm had small seams where one could see more of the substance moving throughout it like veins carrying blood. The hand then began to transform to look like a small cannon as the fingers extended to resemble claws.

At first, the group were startled by Hemsworth's reveal before they quickly calmed. Hemsworth's expression remained cold as Dr. Ludlow proceeded to talk once again.

"Hemsworth here is one of our most advanced. He looks just like anyone else with that 'skin' we created." Said Dr. Ludlow before the Director spoke.

"You guys done an excellent job with him. Now, I believe we should take our guests here to the command center to see everything in action, Dr. Ludlow."

"Yes, ma'am." Dr. Ludlow replied as he looked at one of the cameras that observed him from above. He tugged at the collar of his uniform as he gestured for the group to follow him. They eventually entered a large room with massive monitors and a high amount of military personnel present. On one of the large screens, a green dot was shown travelling across a map of the world toward the direction of the South China Sea. A red dot was marked over that area that silently pinged every once in a while. The room also had a massive oval table in the middle that had built-in monitors and keyboards.

"Here in this room" said the Director, "we are monitoring the deployment of a team of assets we sent to investigate and collect battle data on our extraterrestrial foe. They have dealt with only human opponents so far from various missions testing their capabilities. We deem this Operation Tidal Wave and it serves as the ultimate test."

On one of the screens, it displayed icons of the previously mentioned assets being sent along with their current status being active. A team of fourteen were being deployed. There was an icon highlighted from the rest that had an image that depicted a dark figure with a red slit over the face.

"Leading this operation we have a special operative codenamed 'Stingray' for the records. Have a seat, ladies and gentlemen. His track record is excellent and I feel you may be more impressed to see all we built in action." The Director declared with an unseen smile.

Meanwhile, an advance looking aircraft flew across the sea. Inside it, the operative temporarily named "Stingray" for the mission sat inside a massive capsule in the ship's hangar. It was almost dark but a few red lights were on. He was among dormant machines he would lead into battle, and tightly he gripped onto one of his many weapons. The near-silence of the moment had him lost in thought, until his suit flashed him an update that he was soon to arrive at his location. He was more than ready to deal with what waited for him down below the sea.

* * *

Brandon darted through the air, evading the swooping attacks of flying monsters and plasma fire. One of the scorpion-looking monsters from earlier came at Brandon. He used his heat vision on its hideous face before moving to the side to dodge it. As it screeched from having its face was burning, Brandon grabbed on of creature's wings and pulled. It fell down to the city below while shrieking in agony. A few corpses littered the ground below that were still burning from Brandon using his heat vision on them.

The streets were filled with monsters who kept Brandon in their sights. The red monster from earlier moved among them, and pointed at Brandon with a shriek for the armed creatures to continue firing their weaponry.

Brandon quickly descended from the sky to be among slightly tall buildings for cover. The red creature proceeded to run toward Brandon's location with several other beings following behind. They went through an alleyway as some flying beasts circled high up in the sky. The red creature stopped at the end of the alley, sneaking against the wall to allow a fellow monster to go first into the street Brandon was in. It was a small primate with features of a prawn, and it entered into the street to be met by a scooter thrown at it. It made a painful howl as it flew down the street with the scooter.

Brandon went to grab a stop sign next to use as a weapon against whatever other creature was next. The red monster proceeded to jump out from the alley way to across the street on the balcony of the fourth floor of an apartment building before jumping from it. Brandon looked to see it quickly zig zag back and forth across the street towards him. Brandon pulled the stop sign from the concrete sidewalk, and thrown it as hard as he could to hit the approaching monster only for him to miss. Meanwhile, more of them were coming into the same street. Before Brandon decided to go back up into the air, he grabbed a parked bicycle and threw it while his eyes glowed. The red monster dodged the bicycle and landed on the hood of gas truck which became crushed from the force of its landing. Brandon used his heat vision right then and there but again it jumped out of the way. The beam instead hit the gas container of the truck which then exploded. The monster was too far for the blast to hurt it.

Brandon was admittedly becoming more frustrated but he had no time to dwell on it. He attempted to rise back into the sky to avoid being surrounded again. As Brandon rose up, he unexpectedly felt a tight grip around his ankles. He looked down to see the toothy grin of the red monster before it strongly pulled Brandon back down, slamming him into the asphalt.

Brandon quickly responded by using his simple telekinesis to push the red monster back to give him enough time to rise up again. Unfortunately, the claw of a large crab beast that snuck behind slammed Brandon back down into the ground. The beast raised its claw to reveal Brandon partially embedded into the asphalt in a small crater. The red monster attempted to strike Brandon by jabbing its right arm forward to stab him with its claws. Before it could deliver the blow, Brandon raised his leg out of the road to kick the monster's arm away to the side, which caused it to stagger back. Brandon then quickly focused, using his telekinesis to throw a trash can on the sidewalk into the creature's face.

Brandon then took the opportunity to try to fly back up to the sky. He suddenly launched himself upward but was caught midair in the grasp of the crab beast from moments ago. Its claw completely held Brandon tightly under them but in a couple seconds he burst out, breaking the beast's claw into pieces. Brandon continued his ascent while the monster made a silent groan as it observed where its claw used to be and the pieces that fell to the ground. Lengthy tentacles then came out of its mouth to pick up the pieces to feast upon.

Brandon idly floated in the air to quickly think to himself.

_Disgusting. I can't lose to such inferior organisms. _Thought Brandon before he quickly looked down at the red monster that waited down below. A sense of profound contempt was growing in Brandon regarding that particular being. Admittedly it also perplexed him since never he expected to encounter something strong enough to slam him into the ground.

Meanwhile, word of Brandon's existence was making its way back to the underwater city through Ganshu commanders. The news would soon arrive to Ourok in the command center.

The monsters continued firing upon Brandon as he darted across the sky. He had to think of his next course of action. There was more Brandon needed to know about the enemy such as where is their base of operations for example. While he pondered, Brandon suddenly collided with a car tire that obliterated into pieces upon impact. He stopped moving in the air for a bit to assess what was happening, but quickly he found himself being uppercutted by the red monster's fist. It then proceeded to grab Brandon by the head with its other arm as it started falling.

Brandon tried to regain focus but he was in a brief state of shock. In addition, he was feeling mild pain growing from the hit.

The monster tightened its grip on Brandon as they both fell down toward the city streets. Brandon was like a ragdoll in its hold before he responded to the situation by flying downward. He accelerated their descent, pulling the red creature behind as it still hung on to him. Brandon aimed his trajectory toward a building, and the two plunged through the roof down various floors all the way to the basement. Clouds of debris kicked up from the structure which began to crumble. Brandon flew out as soon as the monster undid its grip on him. He hovered right above the building as it collapsed, and fired his laser beams into it hoping to hit the creature as it was obscured by falling rubble and clouds of dust.

Brandon briefly paused his assault. His eyes locked on the area to see if his foe was defeated, but as he observed a rock suddenly impacted the side of his head. Then, the red monster jumped from out of the dust clouds below to uppercut Brandon's stomach at a rapid speed. It then placed its fist together and slammed it down upon Brandon's back to send him falling down to the city streets once more. The beast followed as well as gravity took effect in bringing it back down.

Brandon managed to recover and land on his feet upon hitting the ground. A dull pain was starting to form from where the monster hit Brandon again. He placed a hand over his stomach, but Brandon quickly looked up to see the monster land a few meters away from him. It still was making a large toothy grin as it stood up.

_Cease... Surrender..._

A calm voice spoke inside Brandon's head. Then, Brandon observed something rapidly slithering among wrecked vehicles and debris from behind the red monster. It then rose up, towering behind the creature revealing itself to be a Ganshu, the one that has been overseeing the invasion force at the city. It stood tall with the aid of its tentacles, and its eyes glowed. Brandon then noticed that small bits of rubble beneath the Ganshu began to float.

_Surrender. A ganshu and a rojk is one of the worst match ups you can face, though a single ganshu such as I could handle you. _Declared the Ganshu boastfully in Brandon's mind. The red creature then laughed like a hyena, indicating it heard what the Ganshu commander said.

Brandon stood there, assessing what he could of the situation. This sudden new opponent intrigued him, and likely held valuable information for Brandon. He still remained on guard though for this was something highly dangerous than the other beasts that roamed.

Speaking of which, Brandon noticed the other monsters kept themselves at a great distance far down the ends of street. It was a crowd of hideous faces that silently spectated, some were even huddled on the rooftops to better observe. The Ganshu then telepathically communicated with Brandon once more.

_It will just be me and the rojk if you resist. You aren't worth wasting any more of them, even if they are expendable. Know you will be slain and devoured regardless of who you face. I and the rojk will just bring upon your inevitable demise faster. My esper abilities and what energy I bestow upon the rojk, as you have already experienced, will get the job done. If I were you, I would kneel and embrace death._

The monster sounded extremely cocky before it proceeded to make a chirping sound equivalent to a chuckle. Brandon felt annoyed by it. Meanwhile the red monster appeared to crack its knuckles and relax its shoulders, clearly anticipating the fight.

Brandon accepted the challenge and without hesitation he fire his heat vision upon the two monstrosities. The Rojk quickly jumped out of the way onto the windows of a nearby building as the Ganshu swiftly blocked with nearby objects and rubble as it slithered away into cover. It immediately launched projectiles at Brandon who ceased his attack to defend himself. Brandon used his own telekinesis to try to slow the fast approaching pieces of stone approaching him as he raised his arms to block. All brushed pass Brandon except one that broke upon his forearms. As he lowered his arms to continue his attack, he was met with the red face of the Rojk up close who then delivered a punch to Brandon's face, knocking him back. In the distance, the other monsters cheered.

Brandon recovered and was furious. He gritted his teeth as pain started to swell in his face. He rushed at the monster while screaming, and gave his own punch to it in the stomach. The Rojk's expression changed to express surprise as it flew several meters back into a crashed bus on the sidewalk. Brandon's eyes flared to begin bombarding the monster with laser beams, but he was quickly stopped by being sandwiched between two cars, then tons of rubble that swirled around to imprison Brandon in a crude sphere. The Ganshu folded a tentacle to begin compressing Brandon under all that material as the Rojk quickly lifted itself out of the ruined bus.

Brandon's eyes flared up once again as more rage was building up inside him.

The sphere quickly burst open with Brandon unleashing his heat vision and telekinesis to escape. He quickly flew up to make distance between him and the two monsters. In the meantime, he grabbed a traffic light while in the air and threw it at the Ganshu. When Brandon landed, he grabbed a car and threw it next.

The Ganshu redirected the traffic light with its powers to hit a nearby building. Its eyes widened and glowed brighter as it saw the car rapidly tumbling towards it. It raised to tentacles to slow the vehicle to a halt on its side, inches away from it. The Ganshu then proceeded to climb over the car only to see Brandon flying towards it. He impacted the vehicle before the monster could react, and it was rapidly being pushed down the street, hitting more cars and debris. The Ganshu had a protective psychic barrier over its body but it was feeling overwhelmed. It telepathically called out to the Rojk for assistance, but there was no need for it already was coming to its aid.

The red beast charged at Brandon from the side, grabbing him by the head once more. It slammed Brandon's face upon a nearby brick wall several times before throwing him at the ground, and delivering a quick stomp on his chest. It pressed its foot down on Brandon before he grabbed it by the ankle and fired his laser beams at it. It moved back enough to dodge the heat vision but Brandon took it as an opportunity to push the monster off him. It flew back and crashed into a wall, knocking over a trash can in the process.

Brandon quickly concentrated on the trash can to hit the side of the Rojk's face before he was going to fly into the beast. The Ganshu snuck up on Brandon and launched a complete attack on his psyche. It showed him a brief vision of Tori standing in front of him before he shook his head and denied the false presence of her.

This momentary distraction allowed for the Rojk to jump towards Brandon with immense force so the two would slap together into a building which collapsed. The two aliens found themselves in the next street over where the Ganshu and the spectating horde followed with horrifying cheers.

Brandon pushed the Rojk off him with his legs, sending it flying into the air where it impacted the railing of a balcony on a nearby building. It got tangled in electric cables that zapped the monster. It roared as it pulled at the cables, breaking them from the poles and falling down to the sidewalk.

_It is futile... _Brandon heard inside his head as the area was being engulfed in clouds of debris. He could hear the Ganshu slithering in the distance, possibly cirycling him.

Next, the cloud started to swirl along with pieces of the demolished building, forming a tornado. Brandon could then see the glowing eyes of the Ganshu along with its silhouette that faded in and out of view. The Rojk snarled nearby somewhere.

Brandon was feeling determined to eliminate the Ganshu as his main priority. He decided that he should isolate it somewhere far so it would have little to no assistance from the Rojk. With it gone, the red monster would become more vulnerable and weaker.

A couple of _bricks_ emerged from the cloud to strike Brandon, but he responded by firing his heat vision, exploding them into pieces midair. Then a sheet of metal came toward Brandon which he proceeded to punch, breaking it in two as it continued on behind him.

At that moment, Brandon was about to fly through the tornado to snatch the Ganshu away, but suddenly the Rojk lunged out from behind. Brandon did a quick turn around to deliver a swift punch on the monster. It staggered but still swung one of its arms at Brandon which he caught by the wrist with a single hand. The Rojk attempted to strike Brandon with its other arm and he caught it too.

Next, the Rojk opened its mouth wide and moved forward to bite off Brandon's head as he struggled to keep its arms in place. He fired his heat vision into its mouth while twisting the monster's hands and skin around the wrist as hard as he could.

The beast broke free from Brandon's hold, jumping back into the swirling clouds of dust. Brandon was not sure if he even managed to break its wrist. Then, a barrage of stone quickly fell upon Brandon as the debris cloud closed in on him. He violently launched off the ground while blasting away at projectiles that rushed at him. Brandon was in the sky but more objects were thrown at him. Meanwhile, the small tornado of debris back on the ground moved to engulf the Ganshu into the center of it. The Rojk could be seen pulling out a sign from the sidewalk to use as a crude sledgehammer with the concrete still attached to it.

Brandon continued to evade the ongoing assault, darting back and forth through the sky. Some projectiles would manage to penetrate through his cape.

As the fight occurred, the Ganshu received a message telepathically from another ganshu from far away.

_Is the threat eliminated? _The creature heard in its mind.

_Not yet but soon it will be._

_Good. New orders from Ourok for you: Don't kill it. A transporter pod is on its way._

The Ganshu felt greatly disappointed at its new orders, and hesitated to respond for a few seconds as it flung more rocks into the air to hit Brandon.

_Fine. _It was all the Ganshu could reply. It then received further information to stall the fight for the arrival of the transporter pod.

Back with Brandon, he decides to try to finally end the fight and made a sudden turn in the air down to the ground where the Ganshu was. Brandon propelled himself to move much faster than usual as it saw large pieces of the destroyed building were being erected to form a barrier surrounding the Ganshu. During that, it also continued its fierce attack with projectiles.

Brandon soon collided with the barrier with a mighty punch before impact. The makeshift barrier and tornado quickly exploded everywhere. Concrete, metal, and trash flew up high into the sky. A thick cloud covered the area, making it harder to see than before. The Ganshu found itself to be in the air, too. Its psychic barrier over itself was still intact. It tried to quickly assess how high it was up in the air after thinking on how it got up there in the first place.

Brandon stood up from a larger crater he formed into the ground. Several meters away the Ganshu landed on its tentacles with a loud thud further down the street. Immediately Brandon flew toward the direction of the Ganshu. It spotted him through the surrounding cloud and quickly dodged to the side. Brandon stopped himself in the air for a quick turn around. Like before, he dashed for the Ganshu but tried to focus his telekinesis on the creature to keep it still.

As Brandon approached its position, he felt a faint force tugging at him before suddenly his body was pulled down into the ground. He still was moving and left behind a split in the road as he did so. The boy slowed down before coming to a stop. He tried to get up but struggled to do so. Brandon could feel an unseen force pulling at him down.

The monster slithered its way closer to Brandon, focusing intently on him.

_Your telekinesis is pathetic._ It commented in a condescending tone.

Brandon responded by look up at the Ganshu and firing his heat vision at the monster. The beams impacted the invisible barrier covering the monster's body but it still jolted back in surprise. This briefly broke its concentration enough for Brandon to quickly move to the Ganhsu to deliver a swift punch to it. He aimed for the head as it flailed its limbs in an effort to avoid being hit until it regained complete focus on Brandon. It was able to concentrate on Brandon's fist to slow it down, making Brandon feel like he was punching through gel. Then, the Rojk snuck up from behind, swinging the makeshift sledge from earlier at Brandon horizontally with the concrete end aimed at the back of his head. Brandon was able to hear the monster and reacted in time to lower himself. The Rojk proceeded to unintentionally hit the Ganshu instead, sending it flying back as the concrete broke into many pieces. The Ganshu was on its back on the ground, snarling fiercely at what occurred.

Brandon launched himself a few meters into the air to be out of the Rojk's reach in a sort of hop. He landed over to the Ganshu's position to grab it by one of its tentacles, but immediately Brandon started to be bombarded with visions from the telepathic beast.

Brandon tried to keep a hold onto the tentacle before the images that flashed through his mind grew intense. He saw corpses of himself being devoured but what disturbed him was seeing the rotten face of Tori in various states. She consistently had a contorted mouth and empty eye sockets in these quick flashes.

The Ganshu delivered a quick slap with one of its tentacles which completely broke Brandon's hold on it. It proceeded to distance itself as it broadcasted more hallucinations to the super powered boy. It did not have complete understanding of the inner workings of Brandon's mind yet, though it likely would have by now if it began to mentally scan Brandon earlier in their fight. It had hoped it did not have to bother with the messiness of thoughts from lower lifeforms.

Next, Brandon hallucinated being surrounded by the reanimated corpses of Tori. They stood around him while emanating screams at him. Brandon was able to still see the Ganshu ahead of him.

_Get out of my head!_ Thought Brandon, knowing the Ganshu would hear him. Before Brandon could attack the monster, the hallucinated Tori's attacked him. Instinctively he attempted to defend himself from the apparitions, firing his heat vision at them. The Rojk and Ganshu observed as Brandon fired at nothing before he stopped to reassure himself they weren't real. He grabbed his head with his eyes closed, and tried to shut out the sound of the screaming Toris which piled on him in his mind. He tried to focus hard against the small trickery of the telepath. He took a deep breath before he then opened his eyes.

He did not hear the hallucinated screams of his dead adopted mother. In fact, the distorted copies of her were seemingly absent. Brandon rose up triumphantly to look upon the Ganshu, hoping to see it confused at how it was bested. Instead Brandon saw the Ganshu looking up, and before he knew it something snatched him up with the concrete beneath him. He was engulfed in a bright light as he heard an incredibly loud hum.

Outside, the Ganhsu and the Rojk observed as the teleporter pod had Brandon in its metallic beak where one could see small rays of light. It floated in the air as its mechanical tendrils gently floated as electricity shot out across its body. The strange robot produced a loud boom before seeming to power down a bit, indicating the teleportation pad inside its beak has successfully sent Brandon to a new location, out in the depths of the sea.

As soon as the bright light disappeared, Brandon found himself to be standing in a massive circular area comparable to a hangar of sorts. There were multiple stone balconies that went up toward the first thing he noticed was that he was surrounded in a circle by many monsters at a distance. They noticeably possessed the strangest looking guns. Brandon then looked down to see he stood on a platform that glowed but the light was slowly fading. He quickly concluded that he likely was teleported somewhere. Next he looked up to see a glass ceiling far above him. The silhouette of large monsters could be made out behind the glass. Next, Brandon observed the horrific crowd once again and noticed far ahead of him a few creatures that stood out.

He saw Erin closely accompanied by Ourok and Roremp. The first thing he noticed about Erin was the wide, lifeless eyes that stared on.

Erin stepped forth from the line of monsters, approaching Brandon. A growing sense of tension and uneasiness was forming among the monstrous crowd. Brandon felt unsure of what to do next as he observed Erin walk towards him.

Erin continued to approach Brandon but stopped halfway from him. Then, he proceeded to speak to the boy.

"I have heard you have caused a bit of mischief for some of my minions above. It's been so long but I can still recognize the scent of your kind despite the form you were given... " Said Erin. Brandon gave little thought to what the strange humanoid said to him. He instead was thinking of what to ask it.

"What are you?" Brandon asked. His voice was partially muffled by his mask but Erin understood him.

"I have many names. The simplest one I am called by is Erin. Your name?" Responded Erin. Brandon briefly hesitated with his reply. He was thinking of fleeing but maybe he had an opportunity for information. Finally, Brandon spoke back to the being.

"Brightburn." He responded to the creature. Brandon felt it was wise not to disclose his actual name.

"Brightburn… interesting. I will cut to the chase. It has been eons since we have encountered your kind. We were certain you were extinct long ago, yet here you stand among us." Erin said with the equivalent of a smile with his toothy maw that expanded across his face.

"And?" Replied Brandon curiously. He never really paid much thought to the idea of others like him. Not like it mattered that much to his mission of taking the Earth. He was there to simply conquer.

"Your kind were... entertaining, to say the least. The taste of their flesh after a lengthy battle was euphoric, but the challenge that came with them was much greater." After Erin finished that sentence, his body began to grow slowly taller and more muscular. The humanoid monster proceeded to walk in a circle around Brandon before continuing to talk.

"I would like the honor of breaking you in combat. You do not look your best like those that came before you long ago, but surely you still have strength to spare just for me."

Brandon then realized how filthy and torn his regular clothes and mask were after glancing at himself. He would need to sew back his costume, and possibly come up with a lie for his aunt later about his clothes. Erin continued to talk to Brandon while walking around him.

"To be clear, I do not intend to kill you. We have plenty of questions to ask you." Erin said before coming to a stop behind Brandon, who turned to face him. Roremp and Ourok observed intently on their lord. They already knew what to expect from the fight. Roremp had the most gleeful look on its scaly face.

"I will grant you the first hit, Brightburn." Erin then stated to Brandon.

Brandon reacted skeptically to the free opportunity he was being given by Erin, but he quickly came to recognize it as genuine. Erin took a stance, openly presenting himself for Brandon. His mouth continued to form an alien smile as he stared at Brandon with anticipation.

After a few seconds, Brandon finally made his move. At an incredible speed, the boy moved up and delivered a punch with all his might into the chest of Erin, which catapulted him into the air. The crowd of monsters quickly moved out of the way as Erin's body came rapidly towards them.

Erin finally landed on the side of a large, cubical container that several monsters stood on to observe the fight. The impact shook the container, knocking off one humanoid creature off it. The monsters watched their master with awe.

Erin was partially embedded in the side of the container as parts of it loudly creaked and cracked. Then, Brandon, as fast as he could, flew to Erin to deliver another punch but to Erin's head this time. To some of the monsters, Brandon was in front of their lord in a blink of an eye.

As the punch from Brandon came, Erin quickly shifted his head to the side, easily avoiding the hit. Brandon was immediately surprised but before he could pull out his fist Erin's head split open to reveal a jagged set of needle-like teeth in a makeshift second mouth. Then, Erin proceeded to bite down on Brandon's hand and part of his forearm.

Brandon felt immense pain and let out a gasp. He then pulled his arm out as hard as he could from the hold of Erin, pulling out some of his teeth in the process. He bounced backward away from Erin, closer to the teleporter pad. Brandon looked at his arm which started to leak lots of blood. His confidence quickly dwindled in regards to the situation. The last time he seen himself bleed was back when he accidently cut himself on his ship one night, before he fully realized his purpose. Brandon analyzed his arm and some of the teeth halfway embedded into his flesh like thorns. Then, Erin spoke as he emerged from out of the side of the container his body was stuck to. His body seemed to grow even taller and slightly hunched as well.

"Weak. So very weak. I am greatly disappointed, Brightburn." Said Erin as his left arm grew elongated and formed sharp spines made of bone. Several tendrils then burst out of his back. Erin's monstrous subjects cheered and smiled for him.

Brandon looked on with anger as he clenched at his injured arm. He quickly managed to pick out a couple of teeth, but he had to change his focus on Erin. He couldn't believe how he got hurt so easily.

"Now..." Erin continued, "Let me show you strength!"

Erin proceeded to charge toward Brandon, tendrils flailing rapidly, with wide cold eyes locked on him. Brandon braced himself for battle, eyes glowing bright red. He had no idea what he was in for.


End file.
